Blood Red Ice
by Kinokiita-tenshi
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is gone, vanished just like his mentor. And lately a new power is being introduced to the shinobi world. Konoha, meet Red Ice. This story is dead and decayed. Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking...
1. Prologue

Title: Blood Red Ice

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is gone, vanished just like his mentor. And lately a new power is being introduced to the shinobi world. Konoha, meet Red Ice.

AN: Hello! Just letting everyone know beforehand, this is my first fanfic. So I might have some mistakes. If you see any, please politely point it out in a review. That's politely people. Thank you and enjoy.

Edited AN: Okay. I've finally got this thing revised! I have decided to make my chapters longer, but it might also take me more time to get them updated. Also, I know the story starts off kinda slow. I'm doing the best I can. Hope you like it better.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Jiraiya would sooooo not have died. Haku wouldn't have either. Or Yugito...Yeah. Kishimoto-sama is killing all of my favorite characters! *sob sob*

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Prologue

12 year old Uzumaki Naruto sat on the rock head of his father, the 4th Hokage. Yes, he knew the Yondaime was his father. He knew a lot of things he wasn't supposed to, thanks to the new desk attendant at the library, a kind young man that didn't constantly find unexplainable reasons to kick him out of the building. (1)

For instance, he knew he had the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside him, and that his mother, Uzumaki Kushina, was really still alive and living in Suna with a husband and children in a ninja clan, though he wasn't sure which one. Her own clan was originally from Whirlpool Country, but even though the civilians there had put the country back into shape and recruited shinobi for the rebuilt Hidden Village there, she had wanted to stay as close to Konoha as possible on the off chance that she might be able to catch a glimpse of her son if Naruto was ever to go to Suna. He was still pissed that the Hokage had kept it from him. He had told him that she had died in childbirth and that he was an orphan!

But of course, Naruto couldn't show his anger about it because no one knew that he knew because he wasn't supposed to know in the first place. Besides, he figured the old man had wanted to tell him, but the council decided that he was too valuable as a jinchuuriki to risk his leaving to live with his mother. They didn't want to loose such an asset to Suna, who had already created their own jinchuuriki a month before the Kyuubi attack.

Despite it being extremely annoying, Naruto was good at keeping his emotions well hidden. He'd been doing it ever since he was old enough to understand people, which had come sooner for him than other children. But then again, he was pretty sure those kids didn't have a whole village of grieving adults blaming them for a lot of unfortunate deaths. Everyone thought Naruto was just a stupid, loudmouthed brat always spitting stuff about being the greatest Hokage someday, but he wasn't. In fact, he was quite the opposite. When he was himself, which wasn't often, he thought about what he was going to say before he said it. He was also very quiet, almost shy, and just liked to be ignored. No one glared at what they didn't notice in the first place. And what better way to get people to overlook him than to literally scream for the attention? He wasn't the brightest in his class, but he sure wasn't an idiot.

And he sure as hell didn't want to be Hokage. Well, at first, yeah, he did, but then he started hanging out with Oji-sama and man, did that change his mind! All the Hokage seemed to do was fill out paperwork all day. While the real Naruto may not mind sitting and writing, he didn't want to do it all day every day for years until some other sucker took the job. He had decided to be a hunter-nin and eliminate traitors instead. Still, the whole village leader thing was a good cover as to why he was always at the Hokage Tower and training his ass off every day, not that anyone knew his progress, thank Kami. He thought he was coming along quite well for being mostly self-trained. Yes, Iruka-sensei had helped him as much as he could in the academy, but he had had an entire class to run. Kakashi-sensei was okay, but he focused the most on the rather power-demanding Uchiha. Not that Naruto blamed him, much. Sasuke needed guidance with his Sharingan and the Copy-nin was the only one who could give it. And Sasuke was the last Konoha had of the powerful bloodline, so naturally they would want to do everything possible to keep him from defecting like his brother. Though Naruto still thought they were going about it all wrong.

But the jinchuuriki wasn't sitting there to think about how psychologically twisted his life was. Something very strange had happened during his training last nigh and he was trying to figure out what.

_FLASHBACK_

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It was late. Ten Narutos were in the training field furthest from the village and prying eyes. (2) They all attacked each other over and over again with all they had, which was a lot. They were at about mid to high chunnin level. After a few doton jutsu attacks and a couple dozen punches and kicks each, there were only three left: two clones and the original. The clones decided to try to overpower the real Naruto. One came at him from the front, the other from the back. Both had looks in their eyes that promise no mercy. Naruto stepped forward to meet the first copy. His plan had been to jump forward and kick the clone in the gut, then push off him in the direction of the other clone and use the momentum to spin a hit to the side.

That, however, did not happen. Instead, Naruto suddenly felt hot. Very, very hot. What is this? Fear began to clench his heart. No, now he was freezing cold. His palms felt like they had been dipped in ice water.

Naruto then realized his clones were still set on attacking. An important shinobi rule: take advantage if your opponent is distracted. He closed his eyes and instinctively raised his hands to protect himself, one facing each clone.

And promptly felt the chill flow right out of his hands!

The jinchuuriki heard two yelps of pain, but more so of surprise.

When Naruto opened his eyes, he saw twin trail of ice, everything in their paths frozen solid. He knew the ice had been manipulated by chakra, though he should have known that only because of his clones' memories. They each recalled a burst of ice pushing out of Naruto's hands and capturing everything in its path. But the strangest part was that he seemed to be able to remember it himself,, even though his eyes had been closed. Not only had he seen it, but he had seen all of it with perfect clarity, as if he had looked at it all n a colored version of the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, which he definitely did not have.

Naruto stood there in shock of what had just transpired. What had just happened?

After a while of just staring into space, Naruto eventually shook his head, deciding to think about it tomorrow. He was just too tired right then after a full day's training.

Finally having a course of action, Naruto slowly walked through the streets of Konoha to his apartment. This turned out to be a good idea. By the time he reached home, he was exhausted, though he hadn't put much energy into the simple task. The instant his head touched the pillow, he was out, but that was to be expected after three weeks in a row of the grueling training he put himself through when he wasn't on a mission or doing team training with Team 7.

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_END FLASHBACK _

Needless to say, Naruto had woken up at his usual ungodly hour of the day rested but confused. Right after a quick breakfast, instead of going to train before meeting his team at the bridge, he had come to the Hokage Mountain, where he always went when he needed some peace and quiet to think. And right now, he really needed it.

The blonde reviewed the night before in his head over and over again. His naturally good memory was enhanced because of the fox, so he could remember it perfectly; more perfectly than he should have since he supposedly had his eyes closed and should only be able to see it from his clones' memories. (3) But that seemed to not be the case.

Naruto had once asked Hinata-chan what everything looked like with her Byakugan. She had said that it was like being inside of an x-ray, only instead of bones, she can see a person's chakra flow. She also claimed she could see everything at once if she focused hard enough and can look through objects or people to see what's behind them.

It seemed like Naruto had been able to use something similar to the Byakugan. The biggest difference, of course, being that it wasn't like an x-ray, but rather he had seen everything clearly in color the way it was as it was happening, and all inside his head. Now that he thought about it, he could remember exactly what everything in the area had looked like. And it wasn't like he had viewed it from only one direction. It was more like time had stilled and he had examined everything from every angle before anything continued.

Then there was the ice. Where had it come from? How did he get it? How did he use it? Why was it so familiar? (4) How was any of this even possible? As far as he knew, there had never been any record of either of his parents possessing anything genetically special like a bloodline limit, yet that was the only logical explanation as he didn't think this was a side affect from Kyuubi.

Those were the thoughts floating around Naruto's mind. He didn't have a clue as to how or why any of this happened or how to trigger it again to find out. It didn't seem likely that having his clones attack him again would work.

He now contemplated getting help to figure it all out, but quickly dismissed the idea. Who would he tell anyway? The only people who could do anything about it that he trusted at all were the Hokage, Kakashi-sensei, and Jiraiya of the Sennin, but he couldn't tell any of them. Ero-sennin was away checking on his spy network, and neither Oji-sama nor Kakashi-sensei knew of his true personality or skills; no one but the Kyuubi, Iruka-sensei, and Ero-sennin did. The scarred chunnin only figured it out because the two spent so much time together over the course of seven years, give or take. And the old pervert taught him some jutsus and things about the fox, so Naruto felt like he had to give that training everything he had. Though the old man and his genin sensei both had strong suspicions that there was more to Naruto than meets the eye. After all, he did hold the title of 'Number 1 Most Unpredictable Ninja.'

The problem with telling Kakashi-sensei would be that he would insist on changing Naruto's training and treat him differently, exposing him to everyone with more than half a brain. Which, luckily, wouldn't be too many, but still. It would alert Sasuke-teme.

Telling Oji-sama had a similar problem with greater consequences. If he knew, no mater how hard he would try to keep it a secret, sooner or later the council would find out. The biggest issue with that, though, was that old bastard sneak Danzo. He would probably find out before the rest of the council and try to use it to his advantage, probably come up with a totally bizarre but totally Danzo scheme.

Maybe he would try to blackmail Oji-sama into resigning as Hokage so that he could take over. He'd known since the bond had started how close the Professor was to Naruto. All he would have to do is threaten to spread Naruto's little secret around the village and make it appear that Naruto had been deceiving them all in order to buy some time to get powerful enough to take revenge on the village for the fox being sealed inside of him. Oji-sama would either have to accept defeat to protect Naruto or let Danzo spill the beans on him to protect the rest of the village from an unnecessary war that Danzo was bound to start. Either way, the result was not good.

So what could he do? For now he decided to ask the oldest being he knew of for some information on bloodlines.

'Oi, fox! Wake up.'

While he and the demon were not friends, they had come to a mutual agreement of sorts. The blonde only hoped he wasn't overstepping his boundaries here, waking the beast so early.

Naruto heard some grumbles in the back of his mind. He couldn't understand it all, but he managed to catch a few words.

**...Insolent pink pig...grumble...no fear of their betters these days...grumble...little human talking to me like that...**

'Quit your whining for now. I have a problem.'

**Is that so? And you bothered to come to me? I'm touched,** Kyuubi mocked. **Why should I care about a child's little problem?**

'This problem is not so little. I have no idea what to do about it.'

The fox let out an irritated sigh. **Do about what, mortal?**

'I don't know. Something happened when I was training last night. I was hoping you might know what it was.' Naruto showed his prisoner his memories of the strange event.

When he was finished, the beast was silent. After a while, Naruto started to think he had gone back to sleep. It was still pretty early. The boy hadn't needed much time to come to this bloodline hypothesis earlier. It really did show how much smarter he was than he let on. He could find the answer to most problems about as fast as any chunnin.

Finally the Kyuubi spoke up, slowly at first, as if he was still uncertain. **Well, kid, I'm fairly sure you don't want to tell anyone about this. You should keep this to yourself as long as possible. **

'Do you know what 'it' is?'

**Not precisely, but I have a good idea. It appears to be some sort of kekkei genkai, though I'm sure you already guessed that. The remarkable thing is, I've never actually seen this particular kind before. **

'What do you mean, this kind?'

**Kid, I've seen all sorts of bloodlines used in all kinds of ways by a variety of people, but I have never seen one quite like this. I can recognize several traits linking it to several other bloodlines.**

'Wait. You think that it's some sort of mixture of bloodlines?'

**Exactly. Whatever this is, it seems to have come from more and more different bloodlines being passed down though the generations and mutation to form a whole new kekkei genkai...I think. **

'Wow. So how many bloodlines do you think made this?'

**Well, obviously it is from at least two. One dealing with the all-seeing vision you received and another giving the blast of ice you shot from your hands. Aside from that, I haven't the slightest clue. It could be only two of the lesser-known, secret bloodlines or it could be a mix of every known one out there. It depends on how many generations it passed through to get to this stage and how many of your ancestors had an ability. Though I'd say the latter possibility is more reasonable. **

'Come on. Don't you have any guesses? What are all of the traits similar to other bloodlines that you can see?'

**Well, it certainly appears to have some tie to the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan.**

'Nani?' Naruto blinked in surprise. 'But how could I get part of the Hyuga bloodline? I thought they never let their children marry outside of the clan to protect the Byakugan.'

**That's true. How it happened is none of my concern, and no matter how, it was done. You are indirectly related by blood to the great Hyugas. Don't that make you feel special? **The fox scorned.

Naruto didn't respond. How in Heaven or Hell did one of his ancestors manage to have a kid with a Hyuga?! Obviously either no one knew about it or everyone thought the child had been eliminated, because there was no way that the Hyuga elders would let an outsider's child have their precious kekkei genkai without a huge fuss and a bunch of council meetings to decide the kid's fate. But Naruto had never seen a record of that ever happening whenever he had gone to the library or slipped into the Hokage's office to keep himself up to date. And yet, Naruto had been born with a mutated form of the bloodline.

Eventually, Naruto pulled himself out of his thoughts. 'So what other links can you find?'

**Hm...as far as I can see from that ice, you are capable of Hyoton techniques, so you might have strong affinities to wind and water to be able to manipulate them together. As for the heat you felt at first, I will have to ponder that.**

'...Wow. This is...impossible.'

**Kid, if there's one thing I've learned in all of my years, it's that almost nothing is impossible. Now if that's all, I'm going back to sleep.**

* * *

Sorry the chapter just sort of stopped. It was the best I could come up with. Just a heads up, the next chapter will be when Tsunade's the Hokage.

(1) In my fic, Naruto likes to read, so when he goes to the library, he actually learns stuff. Almost all of his ninja-related knowledge is from reading old history books. You never know what a curious kid could find in the old abandoned section in the back.

(2) Just saying that in my version, Naruto's regular Bunshin had been less than perfect, but passable. Though of course Mizuki-teme failed him anyway cuz Iruka-sensei wasn't there. Naruto had had an idea that Mizuki-teme was up to something fishy, but didn't know what, so he went along with it. That is how he found out about the fox and learned the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

(3) Naruto has a good memory; remembering things is fairly simple for him. So if the Kyuubi can enhance his body, I figure he can get a better memory, too.

(4) Team 7 already went on the Wave mission. In this fic it was the same as in the cannon. And now Naruto is familiar with Ice Release because of his fight with Haku. I really wanted to make Haku live in this fic, but it didn't turn out that way, did it?


	2. Chapter 1

Title: Blood Red Ice

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is gone, vanished just like his mentor. And lately a new power is being introduced to the shinobi world. Konoha, meet the Red Ice.

AN: I back. I'm trying to update every few days.

Edited AN: Here's the next chapter. But first, I should clear up some things:

-I don't know if I'm going to put Kushina in or not. There will be another Uzumaki though. And no. Kushina doesn't hate her son. You know, "Nothing's greater than a mother's love," or something along those lines.

-I don't plan on doing any really bad character bashing, just some criticism, cuz in my point of view, Kakashi could have given Naruto and Sakura a little more attention. Don't confuse that with hate. I love Kakashi-sensei!!!

Which brings me to my next point. If you don't like one part I put in my story cuz you don't like it when that particular thing happens, please don't just stop reading it. Give me a chance. But if reading it just makes you want to throw up, then okay. Check out something else. I would just really appreciate it if you don't give me a review saying that you hate my story. That's kinda rude and close-minded. So no hating please! Thank you.

Disclaimer: Anyone who thinks I own Naruto should go to a mental hospital. That's all I have to say.

Chapter 1

The Hokage sighed. In front of her stood Jiraiya, her former teammate. He had just finished outlining his plan for a certain blonde's training and in it, he stated that he wanted to take Naruto out of the village with him. Tsunade did not like the idea at all. Though she knew Naruto would be in good hands with Jiraiya, she was not comfortable with having him out of the village, and thus out of her reach. True, she had only known Naruto for a few months, but the two had grown close and she had become a bit attached to the little supposed-loudmouth. She felt like a grandmother to him.

'Wait- grandmother! Jeez, I'm getting old.'

"I don't know, Jiraiya. Are you sure taking Naruto out of the village is a good idea? It would make it much easier for the Akatsuki to capture him."

"That's only if they can find him. You don't need to worry about that. You know I can make him disappear if something were to happen."

"Yes, but still. What if something goes wrong? What if something happens to you?"

Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow at her. "You know full well Naruto can take care of himself if it came to that. Besides, it's a risk we'll have to take, Tsunade. Whether we take it out there somewhere or inside of the village is up to you."

Tsunade bit her lip. He had two good points there. If it turned into a battle over the Kyuubi, it would be best for the village for it to be somewhere far away. But that wouldn't be best for Naruto himself. While he was very capable for his age, he was still no match for multiple S-class missing-nins. At least in the village, other ninja could be called to help, but in the middle of nowhere there would be none.

"It's still too risky. There are too many things that could go wrong. Naruto would be safer if he stayed n Konoha."

Jiraiya stared hard at her. Tsunade turned away to look out the window towards the village. He could tell something else was bothering he. "Tsunade, is there something you're not telling me?"

She flinched slightly. "I just think it would be best for Naruto to stay here."

Jiraiya frowned. "Tsunade. If there is anything else involving him that would make you feel so strongly that he should be kept in Konoha, I need to know."

Tsunade didn't answer.

"You know I promised Minato that I would keep Naruto safe. If there is something else threatening him, I need to know about it."

After a few minutes of silence, Tsunade relented. "Orochimaru."

Jiraiya cocked his head at her in confusion. "Orochimaru? What does he have to do with Naruto's safety? You don't the kid will try to find him and Sasuke, do you?"

"No, I don't. But I think Orochimaru might try to find him."

"What do you mean? What would the teme want with Naruto? It's not like he would be able to harness the power of the Kyuubi."

Tsunade turned to him. Jiraiya was surprised to see a serious and worried look on her face.

"Jiraiya...I think Naruto may have a kekkei genki."

The toad sage stared at her, stunned. "Kekkei what?" He repeated dumbly.

Tsunade nodded. "I'm not totally sure, but when I say him training the other day, he was using some sort of jutsu that I've never seen before. I was suppressing my chakra, so he didn't know I was there. It was unlike anything I've ever heard of. And he used so many different variations. He had made four clones and they all closed their eyes. Then they all channeled manipulated chakra into their hands, an element for each one. No, Jiraiya, not the basic elements. There was fire, water, wind, and this is the kicker, steam and ice. He shouldn't have his second element yet, let alone a third _and_ sub-elements. And the way he manipulated them; it was like he had a natural affinity for all of them, which is impossible." (1)

Jiraiya nodded slowly. "Yeah, that does sound pretty impossible. Tsunade, I know he has potential and even mastered the Rasengan in one week, but are you sure that's what you saw? Minato didn't show any signs of a bloodline, nor did Kushina."

Tsunade looked out the window again. "I'm positive. If you think about it, it's not that unlikely that he hasn't shown us some things, with how much he hides from most everyone. And this is why I don't want Naruto away from the village for any long-tern period. From what I saw, with some good training, he would have some serious power. The kind Orochimaru would just love to get his hands on. And because of the gaki's heritage, if the snake hears of this, he'll be almost as obsessed with it as he is with the Sharingan. And no doubt the Akatsuki will find out about this soon and come for him sooner as well, so he'll have less time to get a better handle on it. Though with what I've seen, I'd say he's been practicing for a while now."

Jiraiya closed his eyes in thought. "Well," he began slowly. "If this is true, it makes things a little more complicated."

Tsunade sighed and leaned over in her chair, hand groping of the drawer filled with one of her many secret stashes of sake bottles. After pouring herself a dish, she tilted the bottle in the pervert's direction, who declined with a distracted wave of his hand. The woman sighed again and downed the small container in one gulp before going for a refill. Man, this all powerful ninja leader thing was a headache. Tsunade had to wonder what possessed Sarutobi to take the job a second time.

"Tsunade."

Jiraiya's tone quickly snapped her out of her musings. It was the same tone as their deceased sensei had used when he wanted to believe one of them, but couldn't wrap his head around whatever they were claiming.

"Oh, come on. You know there's a lot more to him than he lets anyone know. I doubt even Iruka knows everything about him. Haven't you noticed that look he gets sometimes when he thinks no one is watching? He seems so much more mature, smarter than he lets even us see."

"I have, but Tsunade, is this really about Orochimaru and the Akatsuki? You don't have any other reason what-so-ever to want Naruto here?"

She crossed her arms and turned away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about," she declared, pouting just a bit. A tiny bit. When she risked a glance at her perverted friend, she regretted it, as Jiraiya's skeptical interrogator stare caused her to waver.

She managed to hold out for another few seconds before caving.

"Alright," she sighed heavily. "I admit it. So it might make me a tad bit...uncomfortable to think of Naruto out in the country with just you. Why wouldn't I?" She glared at him.

'So she's fond of the little gaki. She must be getting soft' Jiraiya grinned in victory. A grin which Tsunade quickly swiped off.

"Just the thought of a mini-Jiraiya would put anyone on edge. It's like Maito Gai and Rock Lee."

With a tick on his forehead, Jiraiya decided to make use of his new ammunition. "So you wouldn't mind if Naruto left with Kakashi instead? He was very eager to help in any way. After all, it's not like he had a certain Uchiha to train. I suppose Naruto would make an okay replacement for the prodigy."

At this, Tsunade whirled around to get right in his face. "What do you mean 'okay?!' Naruto would make a better student than that punk any day! Like the Uchiha could have mastered an advanced technique like the Rasengan in just a week without his precious eyes! Like he would have gone after one of his closest friends and fought to the point of being hospitalized to bring the ungrateful bastard back! With his determination and those abilities he has, Naruto could probably kick Orochimaru's ass singlehandedly if he got the proper training! He could become the one of the Konoha's greatest shinobi any time he wants to! He..."

Tsunade trailed off as she finally noticed the smirk on Jiraiya's face. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had been tricked into.

"So, if you think so highly of Naruto's abilities, it shouldn't be much of a problem for him to train away from the village for a while. Besides, after getting the proper training that will be provided by yours truly, he won't have to worry about Akatsuki or Orochimaru, cuz he'll be able to singlehandedly kick their asses! Hahaha-"

Jiraiya suddenly stopped laughing as he felt a terrifying blast of killer intent. "Aw, Tsunade. You're not really that upset," he chuckled nervously.

He gulped. "Are you?"

By now, the forced smile was gone and running like hell as Tsunade pulled back her fist.

"Ts-sun-nade?" Jiraiya managed to whimper before she sent him crashing through the floor. Before he fell completely through, she caught him by the collar, only to open the window and throw him right out.

"That'll teach you to try to take my grandson away from me," she muttered to herself as she went to notify maintenance that the floor needed to be repaired...again.

Naruto was at the ramen stand slurping down his fourth bowl after a morning of training.

'Nothing like a little peace over a hot bowl of ramen after a good training run,' were the thoughts of Konoha's jinchuuriki.

But alas, Naruto's quiet lunch was rudely interrupted by a howling humanoid shape propelled out the window of the Hokage's office and heading straight towards the ramen stand. Or more specifically, towards the kitchen stove, on which a big pot of noodles were cooking. And of course, the figure landed with a crash and a splash directly in the pot. Of course.

Naruto closed his eyes and waited for the familiar wail of pain. He wasn't disappointed. Jiraiya was always emitting some sound of suffering whenever he upset Tsunade. One would think that the old pervert would learn eventually.

Jiraiya had now managed to remove himself from the pot and was moving out of the kitchen as well as he was able due to his newly cooked backside.

"Dumb woman," the sennin whined. "I didn't even really do anything this time."

A grin spread across Naruto's face. "Hahaha! Hey, Ero-sennin! What'd ya do this time, call her an old slug again? Haha!" He laughed louder than necessary.

Jiraiya sent him a death glare. In his view, it was indirectly the kid's fault this happened. If he and the youthful looking woman hadn't gotten so close in the past few months, she wouldn't have thrown such a fit over the idea of him leaving. "Oh, hardy har har. Actually, all I did was tell her my plan for your training. I want to take you with me out of the village for a while," he answered while sitting down next to the blonde.

Naruto instantly shut up. He stared at the old man, stunned for a moment before remembering to slap on a wide grin. "Seriously? You're gonna train me away from Konoha? Are you gonna teach me a bunch of top secret jutsus that only a few great ninja can do? Are we gonna go spy on people? I need to pack," he mumbled the last part to himself. Then as suddenly as it came, the smile was gone. He glared at Jiraiya accusingly. "Wait. You're not gonna just do your stupid perverted peeking all the time, are you?"

Jiraiya sweatdropped. "Uh, no. Not much _novel research_. I'll be looking for more information on the Akatsuki."

The toad sage was surprised when Naruto immediately sobered up. He had expected the blonde to start a whole speech on how he was going to train hard so he can kick their butts and go find Sasuke to keep up the baka image for anyone around. "Oi, Naruto. Are you okay?"

Said boy nodded. "We should leave as soon as possible so that I can start on my training. I'm not sure we'll have as much time as you think," he advised seriously. With that, he paid for his ramen and left the stand.

Jiraiya just sat there, confused. Naruto was careful to never act too serious when they weren't in private. And when he had said that they didn't have much time, he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. But why? Jiraiya frowned. 'What do you know that we don't, Naruto?'

And the mystery deepens...MUAHAHAHAHAHA- _cough cough hack_. Ano...gomen. I couldn't resist! I'm on a sugar high...except I didn't have any sugar...if that makes sense. o_o;; Yeah!

(1) This is how I was lead to believe it goes: A person has one natural affinity and then develops a secondary affinity. If they're lucky, they'll get a third element. So correct me if I'm wrong.


	3. Chapter 2

Title: Blood Red Ice

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is gone, vanished just like his mentor. And lately a new power is being introduced to the shinobi world. Konoha, meet the Red Ice.

AN: The first part of this chapter is mostly fluff, but later I am going to introduce some characters important to the overall plot. They are OCs, just a warning. Also, halfway through, there will be a time jump of about 1 year.

Edited AN: So how do you like the new chapter lengths? Tell me if you want a change. It doesn't really matter to me. As long as I can write. :)

Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it? I...I-I don't...own...Naruto! *mental breakdown*

Chapter 2

"Hey, Baa-chan."

Said woman nearly choked on her sake, spraying it all over the paperwork on the desk in front of her, She looked up in surprise to see a blonde boy in a familiar orange jumpsuit sticking his head through the door.

"I want to talk to you. Can I come in?" he asked.

For a moment, the Hokage sat there, blinking as a feeling of dread began to creep over her. He never asked for her permission or spoke in anything less than a shout unless it was serious. "Um, yeah. Sure, I guess."

When he was calmly seated in the chair in front of her, she hesitantly asked, "What did you want to talk about, Naruto?" Even though he had on his trademark smile, his eyes shone something else. What it was exactly, Tsunade couldn't tell and it was making her uneasy.

"Well, I sorta ran into the Pervy Sage earlier and he told me he wanted to train me outside the village." His tone would have sounded casual to most everyone but Iruka, but now Tsunade could detect the slightest undercurrent of caution and worry. Worry? Now Tsunade knew that something was up.

She began slowly. "Yes, Jiraiya had come in around lunch time and told me his idea. I think it is very risky. What do you say?"

Naruto looked down at his hands for a few seconds. Honestly, he wanted to stay in Konoha with is friends and who he considered his new family, Tsunade included. But he knew that sooner or later, the Akatsuki would come for him. They had already sent a Konoha nuke-nin Uchiha Itachi, and a former member of the Seven Mist Swordsmen, Hoshikgi Kisame, to capture him a few months ago, before he and Jiraiya had gone hunting for Tsunade. Actually, the violence from their visit was a big part of the reason they had looked for her. She was the only person who could heal Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke from the effects of Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan. Naruto couldn't help but feel responsible for the mental and emotional pain that they had had to suffer through and Tsunade knew that.

One day, the organization would send the criminals again, maybe more that just them. Naruto knew that he had to be preferably as far away from civilization of any kind as possible, but definitely away from his home. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if by protecting him one of his friends got hurt again...or worse.

Naruto finally lifted his head to look the Hokage in the eyes. "I can't let anyone get hurt because of me, not again."

Tsunade internally winced at his deadpan expression and bit her lip. "Are you sure you want to leave? You don't have to."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I can't be here when they come back."

Tsunade frowned. She didn't need him to tell her who 'they' were.

"I'm just putting the village at risk," Naruto continued.

"You're putting yourself at risk," Tsunade snapped a bit harshly.

"If it keeps Konoha safe, then it's necessary. That's every shinobi's responsibility, to protect the village, right?"

Tsunade slowly nodded in defeat. If he really wanted to go, she would respect his decision. Besides, he was right. Shinobi have to put the village's safety first, even if half of them didn't deserve it. Thinking about the way most of them shunned Naruto growing up still put her teeth on edge. And yet he wanted to protect them from harm at his expense. That's just one more thing Tsunade loved about the blonde. Hell, she was going to miss him.

Naruto smiled sadly at her, as if he knew what she was thinking. His next sentence added to her suspicion. "I'm gonna miss you, too, Baa-chan."

The Hokage's eyes began to sting, but she held her composure by biting her lip again. But when the gaki darted around her desk and squeezed her tight, she couldn't hold back. Tears began to silently work their way down her face and into the boy's wild hair. Naruto also let a few tears fall, neither caring if they soaked the woman's jacket. They stayed like that for a long while, silently crying in the others warm embrace.

When Naruto's breathing evened and slowed to signal that he had fallen asleep, Tsunade pulled his small body up onto her lap and cradled him in her arms. He snuggled into her and sighed contently in his sleep. She looked at his slumbering face, dry tear marks staining his whiskered cheeks.

After a few more minutes of looking thoughtful, Tsunade reached into a lower drawer and, after dispelling a genjutsu, pulled out a bundle. Then she jumped out the office window, still carrying a sleeping form in her arms. She leapt from rooftop to rooftop until she reached Naruto's apartment. She let herself in through the little kitchen window after bypassing all of the traps he had set up to keep vandalizers out. They were nothing too complicated, just kids stuff he learned from the academy.

Tsunade shook her head in sadness and disgust. 'How could they treat someone like Naruto like this? If I had known before, I would have watched his apartment myself to catch any bastards trying to wreck his home. And now he's leaving for who knows how long.'

Shaking her head again, she navigated her way through the messy kitchen, hallway, and finally Naruto's bedroom. 'Jeez, I never would have taken him for a slob.'

Of course, he was actually quiet organized and only kept it cluttered so that anyone that might've gotten past his traps would have a difficult time moving around without creating any noise.

The woman spotted Naruto's pjs on the floor and decided to slip him into them. 'It's something my grandma would have done. Why can't I?'

When Naruto was comfortably tucked in bed, Tsunade admired his adorable face. 'He may be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he's a cut pain in the ass when he's asleep. Huh. Actually, he's a pretty good-looking kid. He'll have quite the fanclub when he grows up.'

Suddenly, she felt very proud. Her little like-grandson was going to grow up to be one of the greatest shinobi live. And maybe she could convince him to be her successor, though she could understand his reason for not being too keen for the job. She still had a load of paperwork that she was supposed to have done while they were saying their good-byes waiting for her back at the Hokage Tower.

Tsunade sighed. Now she was behind on all of her work again, but as she watched Naruto sleeping so peacefully, she knew it was worth it. Right then, she also decided to work extra hard. She was going to be a great Hokage, if not for anyone else, then for Naruto. When he comes back from his training, she wanted him to be as proud of her as she was of him.

"Good night, Naruto. Get strong and come home soon. I'll miss you, ya little brat," she whispered affectionately.

"...Night...Gran."

Tsunade's eyes widened. Then her face split into a smile. He was mumbling in his sleep. He was dreaming about her. Now she knew for sure that her boy would come back safe and sound. After leaving a large piece of cloth with the Leaf insignia stitched on it in silver thread on the windowsill, she threw one leg out the bedroom window and hesitated there, enjoying the peace and calm of the moment.

With one last glance at the blonde's sleeping form, Tsunade jumped the roofs of the village back to the Hokage Tower and, despite the mountain of paperwork awaiting her return, Konoha's Fifth Hokage was smiling.

On the bedroom windowsill of one Uzumaki's apartment, two small scrolls peeked out from under a dark red cloth. Each had a different clan symbol on them: one for Uzumaki and one for Namikaze.

**Somewhere in Fire Country, 1 Year Later**

Laughter could be hear as a group of travelers opened the door to a tavern.

At the head of the group was a burly blonde man in a white t-shirt under a brown jacket and dark brown pants that met a pair of sturdy brown boots. A teenage girl came behind him in a forest green kimono with slits up the sides showing white bandages from her waist ending just above her knees and her bright sky blue hair up in a short ponytail. Shadowing her was a slim white haired boy in blue ninja sandals, gray pants that ended just above the ankle, and a dark blue shirt covered by an open tan coat three sizes too big.

The man had a long sword at his side along with a dark gray backpack over one shoulder. The girl had four scrolls strapped to her back and a weapons pouch on her hip. The boy, though appearing to be armed only with a small knife hanging from his belt, actually had a katana hidden under his coat behind his neck and an assortment of deadly poisoned needles up his long sleeves for easy access.

The moment they entered the tavern, all became quiet, recognizing them. The trio continued their way to a table as if no one was staring at them, wondering who they were after this time.

Yes, these three were bounty hunter, and extremely successful at their trade. So much so that they had developed something of an image, giving themselves the extremely creative title of "The Hunters." Funny story behind that, but that is for another time. Anyway, individuals and villagers alike had begun to ask for their assistance specifically.

The trio ordered some drinks, or rather, the man and girl ordered and the boy just sat there. Instead, he chose to subtly survey the small, closed in room. It was about half full, and a pack of six men's rugged, flushed faces betrayed that they were either drunk or very sunburned. Being the beginning of spring, the boy logically assumed that most of them were close to getting wasted, but also noticed that none of them were indulging themselves now. They all seemed to be trying to appear nonchalant when they were obviously sweating. He briefly wondered what they were so nervous about and decided to keep an eye on them, if for no other reason than to satisfy his curiosity. Though he didn't say much, he was a very curious person and soaked up knowledge like a sponge, wanting to know everything.

"See anything, Kisho?" the man asked him quietly, receiving a slight negative shake of the head, as the newly dubbed Kisho knew he wasn't interested in a bunch of drunks.

The boy's male companion's name was Mamoru Kengo, and 33 years old. He had trained the girl since she was 6 and had found the Kisho 4 years later when he was 8. (1) Mamoru had taken pity on them and gave them the only life he could offer. He had been a bounty hunter since he had left his home at 18 to find his father's murderer. He eventually achieved justice years later with the kids' help, though when Mamoru had taken them back to his home village, they had found it abandoned. So, having no idea where Mamoru's family had gone or if they were still alive with no way to find out, they kept doing what they had done before. They stuck with the hunting business.

The girl was 17 years old now and very strong willed. Her name was Kichi, meaning 'fortunate,' which, later in life, she was. It was very lucky for her that Mamoru had been passing through the streets of the small village she was from 11 years ago. She had been a homeless orphan at the cause of a fire at the time. Mamoru had taken her with him on his travels and trained her to be a bounty hunter and in any shinobi skills he had picked up over the years. When she was 8, she had seen a strange, hunchbacked shinobi in a black and red coat making a pair of puppets spin an intricate dance of danger with each other. When she had asked him how he did it, he man had stared at her for a moment, then laughed and told her that she was a brave girl indeed to speak to him. He had left after that, leaving a very confused Kichi in his wake. Since then Mamoru had taken her to several chakra masters and she had trained like crazy to become the greatest puppet master ever. (2)

Kisho was 15 years of age. He had a quiet demeanor and a dangerous aura. While having excellent skill with the katana, Kisho was the trio's medical ninja and had what Kichi called 'a creepy admiration for poisons.' He didn't have any memory of his life before he was 8. Mamoru had offered to find someone who might be able to bring his memories back, but Kisho didn't want to remember. What if his parents were horrible people? What if he didn't have any parents? What if he had lived with a crazy old woman that cut herself and thought ghosts were after her?

Or what if his parents were wonderful people that loved him with all their hearts? What if he had a brother and sister and aunt and uncle and grandparents? If he did, he still didn't want to know. He would just realize all of the things he had missed. Besides, what if he went back and they were all gone, like Mamoru's family? He couldn't go back to a past anyway. He could never leave Mamoru and Kichi. They were his family now; not to mention the kind of chaos they would cause if he wasn't there to keep them out of trouble! No, his past was the only thing he was not curious about.

The waitress came to their table with his companions' drinks. Kichi began to chug hers instantly while Mamoru sipped his slowly.

"Aah. So Mamoru? Who's on the list for this week?" Kichi asked, putting her empty cup down.

Said man frowned, deep in thought. Kisho and Kichi watched him carefully. He was usually a fairly upbeat person considering his past. Now, though, they could tell that something was bothering him. Something big.

After a full minute, Kichi started becoming impatient. "Come on. Spit is out already."

Kisho gave her a look that said to keep quiet. "Let him think, Kichi." Mamoru wouldn't go any faster than he wanted to and Kisho wanted to know what was nagging him as much as she did.

Kichi pouted but didn't say more.

Suddenly Mamoru broke the silence. "I got a letter yesterday from a new client-"

Instantly Kichi perked up. "That's great. We haven't gotten a specific request in a while."

"Don't interrupt, Kichi. He wasn't finished. It's obviously more serious than that if we're sitting in a bar discussing it," Kisho reprimanded.

Kichi rolled her eyes.

"He's right, Kichi. It's much more serious than that." Mamoru directed his words at both of them. "Do you remember Konohagakure?"

Kisho nodded thoughtfully, but Kichi had to go into a quick summary.

"Oh, yeah! We went there while hunting that kidnapper a couple months ago. Nice place, great ramen. Too bad the shinobi there got to him first, but I guess it is a ninja village."

"Okay, you remember the village, but do you remember the Hokage?"

After a moment of considering these strange questions, Kisho put two and two together and his eyes widened. "You mean the _Hokage_ sent us a hunting request?"

Mamoru nodded. "That's exactly it."

Kichi's jaw dropped. "The Hokage? Why would she send us a mission? Can't she have some of her ninja do it?"

Now Mamoru shook his head. "I think this mission is on more personal terms than business."

"What do you mean?" Kisho inquired.

"She wants us to find someone, but not for a crime."

Kichi squinted in confusion. "Not for a crime?" she parroted. "You mean this person doesn't have a bounty on their head?"

Mamoru nodded again and pulled a small scroll from his pocket. "This is the letter she sent me."

-------------------

AN: Okay. Now that I have introduced my OCs, I am begging for your assistance in one small detail. I am not satisfied with their name, "The Hunters," but I couldn't think of anything else. If you have an idea, please **please** tell me! All suggestions welcome.

(1) For anyone who didn't get that: Kichi was 6 when Mamoru found her, so that would make her 10 when they ran into Kisho, who was 8. Thus, Kichi is 2 years older than Kisho.

(2) I would assume that to use puppets, she would need to have excellent chakra control first. She is also very crafty and dedicated, so after she could manipulate her chakra, she figured out how to use it on a puppet. Her way of doing this is not the same as Suna's jutsus, who have had puppet masters and thus a much more efficient version. This and a few flaws in Kichi's self-designed technique will become apparent and addressed later in the story.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited my story! Please review again. And just a reminder, if you don't like it, don't review. I don't need pessimism. Constructive criticism, on the other hand, is most welcomed!


	4. Chapter 3

Title: Blood Red Ice

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is gone, vanished just like his mentor. And lately a new power is being introduced to the shinobi world. Konoha, meet the Red Ice.

AN: Finally, I have a new chapter for you all! I know I said I'd try to put it up yesterday, but I was too lazy. ;P So here it is.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own Mamoru, Kichi, and Kisho. Yay me!

Chapter 3

Kisho and Kichi laid the Hokage's letter between them.

_The Hunters: Kengo Mamoru, Kichi, and Kisho_

_I have sent this letter to request your services. I would like you to find a boy for me. He is a 14 year old blue-eyed blonde named Uzumaki Naruto, though he may have changed his name and/or appearance. I regret to say I have no further information as to where he could be or if he is even still in the Fire Country. I want him alive and unharmed. He was last seen traveling with a tall, old, perverted man with long white hair by the name of Jiraiya, the Gama Sennin. If you do not wish to take this mission, please burn this scroll. I would understand if you did. I will automatically be notified by the seal on the back of this page of this occurrence. Should you accept, you will find pictures and more information on both Naruto and Jiraiya if one of you would put a drop of blood on the seal at the bottom of this page. This seal will also notify me to this action and is how I will know if you accept. If you succeed, you will be rewarded generously. And if you attempt this, but cannot find him, you will still be reconciled for your efforts. This is my personal request, not on the behalf of Konoha. _

_Konohagakure's Godaime Hokage, _

_Senju Tsunade_

When they finished, Mamoru handed them the pictures. One was of the missing boy, the other of his old companion.

The kid looked younger than 14, inferring that the picture was probably taken a few years before. In it, he was sitting on a stool wearing a black t-shirt with bright orange pants and a Konoha headband on his forehead. He had a foxy grin on his face promising mischief and strange whisker-looking marks on his cheeks framed by messy sun-kissed locks. His azure blue eyes were lit up even in the picture. The teens realized that he was sitting in a ramen stand with a big bowl of the noodles in front of him.

In the picture next to it, the old man was shown in the process of being chased through the streets by a horde of angry women that, by their sparse clothing, appeared to have just rushed out of the local spa in the background through a giant hole in the fencing around the women's bath, several throwing kuni and shuriken.

"Wow. The Godaime," was Kichi's response once she was through giggling at the second picture, a tad sadistically.

Kisho's was more practical. "We shouldn't take this job."

"What? Why not? This is Konoha's Hokage requesting this of us," Kichi blurted.

"Just think about it. We don't know anything about the case. We don't know what this boy looks like now, where he is, where he's headed, how he acts- thus how he'll respond to us, or even why the Hokage is looking for him. We don't even know if he is still alive. This could turn out to be a big wild goose chase."

Mamoru sighed. "That's exactly the problem. We don't have enough information to look for this kid very effectively. With the limited knowledge we do have, it could take us years to find the slightest clue that he still exists, if he in fact does."

Kichi frowned. "She said this was personal. This boy must have meant a lot to her if she's paying us good money out of her own pocket to find him. Why can't we at least try?" She begged, pulling out her puppy dog eyes for added effect.

Kisho closed his eyes. Neither he nor Mamoru could stand against the dreaded Eyes of Doom for long and this was one thing Kisho wanted to keep his own opinion in.

Noting this, Kichi turned her power fully to Mamoru "What can it hurt to look around? We could all use a break from hunting criminals for a while."

The man cringed and glanced desperately at Kisho, who shook his head when he felt eyes on him.

Seeing that both the kids had made up their minds and would not be swayed, Mamoru found himself in the same position he had hoped to avoid by telling them: he would still have to make the decision. Both of the teens had made good points.

On one hand, they hardly knew enough about this job to know what they're doing. They didn't know where to start looking or what the Hokage wanted with this boy in the first place. What if it wasn't for a good purpose? Besides, as he himself had already pointed out, it could take them years to get even a clue to finding this kid. If the Kage of one of the greatest hidden villages in existence couldn't track him down, how were they supposed to?

On the other hand, how could they deny a personal request of said Kage? Despite the professional tone, Tsunade's letter had seemed a bit desperate, like this boy was precious to her. And if he knew Kichi, she would probably look for him with or without the guys' help, maybe even leave the group to do so. Though she was a fighter by nature, she was also very caring. Too caring to sit by while a young boy was away from his home for some reason or another. She knew what it was like to not have a home and be separated from the people she cared for, and she didn't wish that kind of pain on anyone. No, she would definitely search for him.

Mamoru sighed. What should they do? He knew it was likely to be unsuccessful and maybe risky, but at the same time, he would never forgive himself if they didn't do something. They would never know if they could have done something to help get that boy home if they didn't try. Finally coming to that conclusion, Mamoru nodded to himself, signaling to the teens watching him that he had reached a decision.

"Alright. Here's what we'll do. We'll carry on with our hunting business and keep traveling around like we always do."

As Kichi opened her mouth to protest, he quickly hurried on. "But, we'll keep our senses peeled for any clue to this Uzumaki kid. If we find something, we'll see where it leads us."

At this, Kichi lit up and nodded vigorously while Kisho rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm.

"_But_," Mamoru stressed again, gaining their attention. "If anything goes wrong, if it's beyond us, we'll drop the mission immediately. Understood?"

Both responded an affirmative.

As they paid their bill and got up to leave, Kichi smiled. "We'll find them. After all, how hard can catching one gaki be?"

Kisho rolled his eyes again and Mamoru chuckled.

Kichi had realized by now how ironic her words were as she huffed in frustration. After memorizing the information the Hokage had given them, the trio of bounty hunters had been traveling for three months now and they had hardly found a singe bit of evidence that Naruto Uzumaki existed. Or more likely, she had hardly found a single bit of evidence. The guys of the group didn't seem to be trying much. Kisho didn't bother to try at all- why waste energy searching for something you are not likely to find for a while yet- but at least Mamoru had put in some effort at the beginning. Now, though, he just let her drag him around every town they passed through in search of some sign of the missing boy, including this one.

"This is impossible! The one person that remembers seeing any sign of Naruto and Jiraiya only remembers the geezer kicking some mob boss' ass and leaving right away!"

Mamoru sighed.

"Kichi," Kisho impatiently interrupted her tirade before it got out of hand. "We already established that it would be very difficult to track them."

"Well, yeah but I didn't think it'd be this hard! We're The Hunters for crying out loud!"

Mamoru sighed again. "We may be good bounty hunters, but even we won't be able to track a sennin that easily." He gave her a questioning look. "And besides, I thought I already explained that it could take years to find a trace of them. We've only been looking of a few months. We were extraordinarily lucky to come across anyone remembering them at all."

Kichi screwed up her face in though. "There has to be an easier way to do this."

Kisho rolled his eyes, as quickly becoming a habit these past months. "Kichi, how is it possible to find someone if we don't look? There is no other way."

The girl didn't answer him and started to wander away, lost in though in an attempt to solve the problem that faced her. There had to be something they could do. But what? Kisho was right. The only way to find someone is to look. But where to look? That was what was making this take so long. They were looking in the wrong places. Where was the right place?

'Think, Kichi. Think. You have to narrow down their possible locations.'

"Mamoru?" She called. "Can I see the stuff from the Godaime again?"

He looked up at her in surprise, but gave her the papers.

She ran through all of the info again and suddenly grinned like a maniac. "Of course!"

She excitedly turned back to her companions, who were looking at her in concern.

"That's why we can't find them! We're looking in the wrong places. But now I know exactly where to look." She held up the picture of Jiraiya being chased.

They continued to stare at her.

She waved the photo back and forth in their faces. "Don't you get it? The old guy's a pervert, remember? And a pretty big one, judging from this pic. We need to check out the spas. I'm sure people will remember some old, strangely dressed ninja dude like this peeking in the women's bath area somewhere."

Kisho cocked his head to one side, pondering the new light Kichi had shed on their search.

Mamoru pursed his lips in a thoughtful manner. "That's actually not a bad idea. It just might work after a while."

"Of course it wi..."Kichi blinked and then glared at him. "Hey, wait a minute. What's that supposed to mean, 'actually not a bad idea?' Of course it's a good idea. I can come up with good ideas!"

The poor man put his hands up in an apologetic gesture. That didn't stop the torrent of words gushing out of Kichi as she defended her thoughts.

While Mamoru tried unsuccessfully to calm her down, Kisho knew it was pointless and opted to ignore her the best he could as they drifted to the hot-springs across town.

The spitfire female was still going on when they reached their destination.

The conversation was short and nasty. An already irate Kichi had become increasingly pissed with the clerk's uncooperative attitude and, well, apparently the rather plump older woman did not take kindly to being called a fat old hag. Needless to say, Mamoru decided it wise to continue their mission elsewhere shortly after.

After a few hours of walking, they came to a city. A big city with many tourists. A big city with many hot springs for many tourists. You see where this is going.

The three travelers entered an overly crowded information office where Kichi tried to catch someone to help them. Unfortunately, there was a festival that weekend and people had swarmed into the city sooner than the owner had anticipated, resulting in a shortage of hands.

While Kichi continued her doomed approach, Kisho spotted a board proudly displaying info on the city's most promising attractions. Finding the place that exaggerated the quality of the spas, his eyes glinted over it and blinked once...twice...a third time.

Mamoru noticed his distraction and turned to the board as well. When he found what the boy was looking at, his jaw dropped as his head did the math.

Kichi, still trying to snag an employee, was oblivious to their reactions. "Oh, come on! How hard does it have to be just to get directions around here." She began talking to them as she resumed her quest. "Hey, guys! Some help here? I know you don't think this is worth the time, but you could do more than just stand there. Hello? Are you even listening to me? Ouch. What?"

Mamoru had jabbed at her shoulder a few times. Now that he had effectively gotten her to stop talking, he drew her attention to the board as well.

After a few moments of furious thinking, the puppeteer stilled herself and slowly sucked in some air. "Ohhhh," she breathed. "This is going to take a while."

In front of the trio was a list of at least four dozen different hot springs in just one of many, many cities in just the Fire Country alone.

AN: So how do you like it? Good, bad, corrections? I know it's been a while since I've uploaded a new chapter. I'm trying though. And I promise to do my best to not have a month+ long stretch of nothing as long as you all review, okay? Motivate me! :D Also, what do you think of the chapter lengths? Should I keep them long, or do you like shorter pages?


	5. Chapter 4

Title: Blood Red Ice

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is gone, vanished just like his mentor. And lately a new power is being introduced to the shinobi world. Konoha, meet the Red Ice.

AN: I have a beta now! Hopefully my writing is better. A huge thank you to Tenraku-Ichi. This chapter would have quite a few mistakes if not for her.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Rub it in a little more, why don'tcha?

Chapter 4

It was a few days into spring. A warm spell had melted all but a few determined patches of snow.

A lone figure looked down into a clearing in a forest in Whirlpool Country. He stood on a branch of a particularly dense tree. His eyes never left the clearing, while his other senses were on hyper alert for any threats.

He wore a pair of traditional black jonin pants with a long black sleeveless hooded coat left open to reveal a blood red spiral on the front of a black shirt. The sleeves of the shirt stopped half way between the elbow and wrist on his forearm. The image of a small red fox was displayed on the back of the coat.

The snarling head rested on the top of the wearer's right shoulder blade, its delicate body sitting profile above another smaller spiral near the middle of his back. The fox's long tail circled around the spiral to its feet again.

The stranger had the hood of his coat pulled over his head, dark brown locks falling over his forehead. Some dirty white bandages covered the skin of his lower arms until they met textured black gloves and more were wrapped around his legs from the bottom of his pants to his feet, which were enclosed in black ninja boots.

His face was mostly obscured by a black cloth mask over his mouth and nose. The only skin visible was around his deep blue eyes, and on his back he carried a small battle fan, a dangerous weapon and one of his most prized possessions along with the slim twin blades strapped to underside of his forearms. Two kuni packs were attached to a black belt around his waist.

The mercenary's most frequent employer had insisted that he receive his next assignment in the forest. People were beginning to suspect something in the village, he had said. Stupid old man. He had made sure no one saw him. The fat Plum knew that, after all he had never failed to complete an assignment and defeated any and all who stood in his way, many of them high jonin ninja. One of his specialties was stealth for Kami's sake! He was practically a ninja prodigy, being able to survive a fight with a low Kage if the need arose.

Not that he really minded being in the forest. He lived in one. Actually, being around so many people made him nervous and being in a city or town made him feel trapped. Maybe he was claustrophobic. Or just socially impaired.

On his latest mission, he had stumbled across a woman that had been visiting the village in the southern part of the country that he had been traveling through, near the border of Wind Country. (1) Because the woman had unknowingly helped the boy complete his assignment by giving him local information, he had put her in his report to the old man. Normally such trivial knowledge wouldn't have concerned the wealthy clan head, also current leader of a very prosperous village, but his informants happened to find out that this particular woman was the missing daughter of the rightful village leader, who had died without any other family left to take his place. The woman had married into a rather powerful clan from one of the greatest of the Hidden Villages. Of course now he would want her and all of the descendents dead, fearing that one of them would return to reclaim the title of village head and the power with it from his clan.

The boy usually didn't look into his jobs much, as the nosy ones were rarely hired. But there had been something about the woman that had seemed oddly familiar for some reason and he had gotten curious. Now he knew that the Plum would want him to kill the woman and her family, but she had shown him kindness despite his demeanor when they had met. He was almost considering refusing the task he knew he would get. He hadn't yet abandoned his humanity completely since taking on the life of a mercenary ninja, after all.

But that wouldn't help anyone. He would lose a client and the woman would die anyway at the hands of some other rogue like himself.

Then there was another problem, however slight it may be. The Plum had asked him to meet him far out in the forest instead of in his private office as usual. The excuse he had given the boy was pitiful and insulting, but rang clear warning bells in his head. If he refused the mission, the Plum would probably have assassins ready to cut him down. Not that this concerned the young shinobi. He was confident he could take them, as there would few shinobi available for pay like that still more powerful than him. Still, that didn't mean he wanted to fight them. He was a pacifist by nature, turning to violence to survive, and he knew they would just do what they were paid to do, like him. It would stain their reputations if they failed, or worse if he were forced to kill them.

The boy turned the situation over and over in his head.

**Just make up your mind. You're giving me a headache. **

The ninja smirked at the familiar voice in his head. _'So you're finally awake. I would have thought you had left, but I suppose that's not possible.'_

**I will break free, baka, so don't you mock me. I may have determined you worthy enough to let you live if you survive the separation as recognition of your strength, but that doesn't mean I can't change my mind.**

_'Sure. Whatever.'_

**What's that supposed to mean, Uzumaki?** The beast growled.

The demon would have gone into another one of his 'I am the great Kyuubi, fear my wrath' tirades if not for the Plum stepping into the clearing below.

_'Well will you look at the. The Plum decided to show.'_

The man looked around the area impatiently.

And the youth decided to let him wait.

**He's not going to like that. It's a not good idea to anger him this late at night. **

_'Since when do you care what a human thinks?' _The boy mentally snorted.

**I'm only saying. I would have eaten you by now because of all of your disrespect and tardiness.**

_'Yes, but you are a biju king. A position such as that would warrant respect. This man, however, does not. And besides, you aren't in any condition to fire people anymore, are you?'_

He heard a huff, telling him he had offended his companion at being reminded of the result of his greatest failure. **I'm trying to help you keep your job and I, as a once employer, would not recommend keeping him waiting. **

With a sigh, the boy silently jumped down into the clearing, where the Plum had started to pace.

After standing there for a moment, the boy cleared his throat loudly, startling the old man, who whirled around to give the shinobi his first clear view of him that night.

The Plum was wearing his usual attire composed of a dark purple robe with gold embroidery edging and matching velvet sandals. The golden thread belt tied tightly around his waist made his belly look that much bigger- hence the endearing nickname. His hand had flown to the top of his head to cover the gray, every-exceeding hairline from the sudden company's view.

_'I could have been an assassin here to kill him for all he knew, yet his is so obsessed with presentation that he covered his bald spot before drawing his knife,'_ the boy thought with distant disgust. _'At least he isn't wearing that ridiculous hat this time. I can foreign respect to him much easier without it making me want to laugh or puke.'_

**Pathetic fool.**

By now the Plum had regained most of his composure. "I told you not to sneak up on me like that, Kouhei-san," he scolded.

When he spoke, the boy's voice was harmlessly soft with an almost airy quality if one didn't know him well. Otherwise, this particular tone sounded the essence of a true warrior's threat. "My apologies, Yukio-sama. I didn't mean to frighten you. I just assumed that my stealth needed work if untrained civilians had noticed our meetings. After all, we wouldn't want anyone to intervene way out here, now would we?" Kouhei responded with a slight bite to his voice to let the old man know he had seen though his treachery and would respond in kind should he have to.

For moment, the shinobi glimpsed surprise and a bit of fear flint in his eyes. But he once again clamped his emotions under control, something the boy in front of his had mastered years ago.

"Yes, that would be unfortunate, considering the importance of the task I have for you."

Kouhei nodded. "What is it?" He asked, even though he was certain he already knew.

The Plum looking him straight in the eyes and said, "Do you remember that woman you told me you encountered on your last assignment? Well, I have had my men research her and they have discovered that in the past she was involved in a serious crime against my beloved village. She was a participant in the assassination of an entire family, of which included a past village leader, Yasashiku Shuhan- may he rest in peace. The village council and I have decided that she and her descendents must be punished."

Kouhei stared for what seemed to the old man to be a long and agonizing second. The boy blinked slowly, but that was the only sign that he had even heard the mission. On the outside, anyway.

On the inside, however, the young teen was shocked and livid. If a client didn't want anyone else to know about a job, that was their own choice. But mercenaries as a whole had one unspoken rule: to get all of the consequential facts and the truth about the job. Every individual could be as strict of lenient about that rule as they wanted, but no self-respecting warrior would accept an assignment to kill an entire innocent family under the false accusation of multiple murder, especially not for what this kid was getting paid.

Not to mention the little detail that the targets were part of a shinobi clan. He may not be very picky on the facts with his line of work, but this was just ridiculous! The stupid purple-clad bastard was flat out lying straight to his face and leaving out invaluable information vital to the success of the mission! There was no way he could just take this mission now.

**Glad to hear you've finally come to a decision, **came a snide voice. **For a second there I thought you'd have to tell him you'd think about it. **

'Not now, Kyuubi,' Kouhei warned. "Are you certain she was involved?" The boy asked.

The Plum Bastard hesitated for the slightest moment, but, not detecting any accusation in his tone, went on. "Completely. We wouldn't have decided to go on with the punishment for this kind of crime otherwise. It would be horrendous if she happened to be innocent after they were already killed."

"And you are certain the execution of this woman and her _children_ is the correct way to punish her?" Kouhei put the tiniest bit of emphasis on 'children.'

"Why should she be allowed an inheritance when she is partially the reason Shuhan-sama's does not?" Kouhei could detect impatience in his employer's voice now. The man went on. "We have thought long and hard about the punishment and this is what we have decided. And it is what you are being paid to carry out. We can hire someone else, but we prefer that you be the one to take this assignment, seeing your extremely promising reputation as Red Ice."

Kouhei paused. "Yes, Yukio-sama. But please refresh my memory- what was her clan name?"

The Plum Bastard frowned at him. "It's not like you to forget anything, no matter how long it's been. Anyway, she married into another clan and took that name, Kashitu, though before she had gone by her mother's name. That was Uzumaki. Nozomi Uzumaki."

**...Well, damn.**

* * *

Sakura Haruno walked through the streets of the great ninja village Konohagakure. She had a lunch brake from work at the hospital so she left to get a little fresh air. Even though she was only 14, Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage and Sakura's sensei, had sent her to assist the hospital staff as part of her medical training, though she was still limited to minor cases. Cuts, bruised, stomachaches, and the occasional broken bone here and there, mostly smaller fractures. That hadn't stopped her from helping with a particularly tough case once when no one else had been available. Tsunade had said that she hadn't seen Sakura's potential for medical ninjutsu since Shizune.

Right now, the Hokage's apprentice wandered aimlessly around, looking for someway to entertain herself. Had this been a year ago, she would only have had to wait a few minutes before she would have stumbled upon Naruto.

That loudmouth. He was always getting into trouble. Either that or training. Or annoying the crap out of his teammates. When Sasuke was on Team 7, Naruto had always been challenging him to a fight. The Uchiha had just ignored him most of the time.

But then the blonde had begun to show how strong he was becoming and Sasuke started to change, too. Sakura remembered the day the two rivals had fought on the hospital roof. It had been terrifying to see her teammates attacking each other like that. And then Sasuke left and they battled again, for real that time. They both had used every trick they had known. In the end Sasuke had still been stronger.

Though Sakura couldn't help wondering if that was true now. After the chunnin exams, she had taken more interest in her team, especially Naruto. After all, the dead-last had defeated a crazed demon intent on crushing them into dust and dancing in their blood. As she had watched, she had noticed subtle differences in him compared to the dope she had come to expect. Instead of a failure, he was really a fighter. And once she got past his faults, however glaring them may have been, the kunoichi found a comrade she came to trust and, dare she say it, care for like the annoying brother she never had.

'I wonder how strong you are now. Eh, Naruto?' Sakura was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a familiar laugh. It was Konohamaru. Now that she looked around, Sakura found herself in front of Ichiraku's ramen stand. In the stand, she could see Ayame grinning as the academy student dug into a huge bowl of ramen.

Shrugging, the kunoichi ducked inside. It was lunchtime anyway. She sat down next to Konohamaru at the counter and picked up a menu.

"Hey Kono-kun, Ayame-chan."

Konohamaru turned to beam at her. "Hi Sakura nee-chan!"

Ayame smiled. "Hello Sakura-chan. Time off from the hospital?"

Sakura nodded.

"So what will it be?" Ayame asked.

"Um, one bowl of shrimp ramen, please."

"Coming right up." Ayame went to the kitchen.

Sakura turned to Konohamaru. "So how's the academy going?"

The young boy tried to frown and smile at the same time, resulting in a grimace. "It's okay, I guess."

"You guess?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I like all the target practice and sparring, but the lessons are so boring!"

Sakura laughed. He sounded just like a certain knucklehead she use to hand out with. The thought of Naruto instantly had her somber again.

This didn't go unnoticed by Konohamaru. "Is something wrong, nee-chan?"

"Hm? Oh, I was just thinking, that's all," Sakura reassured him.

The little boy studied her face. Sakura quickly became uncomfortable under his piecing stare. Ayame came back with Sakura's order, earning herself a smile from the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura broke apart a pair of chopsticks and began eating, still extremely conscious of Konohamaru's eyes boring into her.

"You were thinking about Naruto Nii-chan, weren't you?"

Sakura stared and almost chocked on her ramen. "W-what?" she managed to sputter.

Konohamaru nodded. "You were thinking about him. I can tell."

Sakura blinked at him. 'How did he know?'

Reading her confused expression, Konohamaru explained. "You always get really quiet when you think about him or Sasuke-teme."

Sakura allowed herself a small smile at the nickname he had picked up from Naruto. She looked down at her bowl, searching for what to say. Luckily for her, she didn't have to.

"I miss him, too," Konohamaru murmured. When Sakura glanced at him, he was also staring at his food.

"Nee-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think Naruto nii-chan's okay?" Konohamaru's eyes begged for encouragement, but also the truth. "Do you think he'll ever come back?"

It was common knowledge that Jiraiya of the Sannin, Naruto's sensei, had disappeared one day, almost half a year ago. Since then, there had been no word of the blonde shinobi.

"Of course I do. Remember, he promised he would. And if there's one sure thing about Naruto, it's that he always keeps his promises, no matter how long it'll take."

Konohamaru visibly brightened at the girl's words. "Yeah, he'll come back. It's his nindo, to never give up. So I'm not giving up either!"

Sakura ruffled his dark hair. "Me neither." A glance at the clock told her she'd have to hurry if she was going to get back to the hospital on time.

The two finished their lunch quickly and paid.

"My break is almost over, so I have to get back to the hospital. Bye, Ayame-chan. See ya, Kono-kun."

Konohamaru waved. "Bye, nee-chan."

As Sakura made her way back to the hospital, she couldn't help but feel a bit of despair. Sure, she had seemed confident in front of Konohamaru, but really she was just as unsure as he was. What if something had happened to Naruto? What if he didn't come back? Sakura felt her blood run cold. She wouldn't be able to handle that.

'No. He promised he would. He'll be back. Maybe not for a while, but he'll come home.'

She quickly pushed her doubts to the back of her mind and continued her daily routine recollecting memories from the Team 7 days, falling asleep that night with a sad smile on her face.

* * *

AN: Before anyone asks, no- Nozomi is not Kushina. They are two entirely separate people. But they are both important to the plot.

I don't have any idea where Whirlpool Country could be, so for the sake of this story, it will be the little area North of the Land of Wind and South of the Land of Earth, one country over from the Land of Fire.

Sorry it took me longer than usual to get this chapter out. I hope it's worth it the wait. Review please.


	6. Chapter 5

Title: Blood Red Ice

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is gone, vanished just like his mentor. And lately a new power is being introduced to the shinobi world. Konoha, meet the Red Ice.

AN: Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? I've hardly noticed the days going by lately. It's kinda sad really.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Enough said.

* * *

Chapter 5

A Town in Fire Country

A slim young woman sat behind the front desk in a purple kimono that hugged her figure, doodling on a pad of paper. She glanced up at the three visitors as they walked in. After a moment, her hazel eyes had taken in their travel-wrinkled clothes and, more pointedly, their weapons before going back to her pencil.

When they stood in front of her, she didn't bother raising her dishwater-blonde head again to look at them and greeted them in a slightly exasperated voice that seemed to have said the same thing too many times for her liking.

"Hello and welcome to the Moonlit Inn and Spa. How may I help you?"

Now that they were closer, they could see that her nametag read 'Kameko.'

Kichi took the initiative and got right to the point. She slid the photo of Jiraiya over the girl's paper as she raised her pencil to draw another line on a crude but stunningly accurate sketch of her view of the front door. "Do you recognize this guy?"

Kameko frowned at him, deep in thought. "No, not off the top of my head, but how long have you been looking? I've only worked here for a few months now. You might want to ask Leiko or Gina. They've been here for a few years."

"Okay. Where can we find them?"

Kameko gestured to a door near the rear of the room. "Actually, Gina is supposed to relieve me in a minute. As for Leiko..." She sighed and shook her head. "Ever since I started this job I've had to cover for her laziness. I suppose she's in the customers' spa area lazing around with guests she has deemed attractive enough for her presence." Kameko wrinkled up her nose at the last part. Then she suddenly seemed to realize what she was saying and glanced at the three worriedly, her face flushing as she began to stutter. "O-Oh my! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean-"

"I know what you meant," Kichi cut in, smiling. "Some people just don't know the meaning of 'motivation.'" She shot a mock glare at the smaller boy behind her, who just ignored her.

Kameko smiled uncertainly back at her, though her relief that they weren't offended by her rude words was apparent on her face. Little did she know how many times they'd been kicked out of respectable establishments because of some of Kichi's careless comments.

Just then, the door at the back opened and a rail-thin, older woman with short dark brown hair and an attire identical to Kameko's outfit briskly walked up to the front desk. She smiled charmingly at the bounty hunters and politely bowed.

"I see we have guests. Kameko, I'll take it from here."

The girl paused. "Actually, Gina, these three would like to ask you something."

Gina raised a perfect eyebrow. "Oh? What can I help you with?"

Kameko handed her the photo of Jiraiya. "They're looking for this man. I haven't been here very long, so I recommended that you or Leiko-san should take a look."

"Well, let's see now...I can't recall...oh, wait."

Kichi leaned in. "Yes? You how him?"

Gina hesitated. "I'm not positive...but I think it may have been..." She trailed off, frowning. A moment later, she nodded firmly. "Yes. I'm sure it was him. He was watching some women, all of them regular customers I might add, through a smell hole in the fencing. Of course, all four of them were kunoichi; one is good friends with the owner, see, so she brings her friends every now and then when they need a break. She was the one that caught him and punched the hole bigger right through the first. Smashed him right in the face she did. I'll never forget the beating they gave him." The woman shuddered slightly. "Served him right, but if he has any brains, he won't ever go near a hot spring again, if he's even still alive."

"'If he's still alive?'" Kichi quoted questioningly.

Gina smirked. "Those girls beat him so bad he couldn't make it back to his hotel. Some kid came along looking for him and had to drag him back."

Mamoru winced while Kichi grew even more excited. "This kid. Did he have spiky blonde hair and blue eyes?"

"Why yes, he did. I may never forget that boy. He wore the most hideous orange jumpsuit. But he had the bluest eyes I've ever seen and the brightest smile. And those queer marks on his cheeks made him look so adorable. Polite, too."

"That's him alright. When did you see them?"

Gina put a finger on her chin. "Well, now let's see. It was before we closed the outdoor area for winter. So probably a good five, six months ago. I only remember them at all because we hadn't seen hardly any perverts around that time...and it was quite a spectacle."

Mamoru frowned. "Do you know where they were headed?"

Gina closed her eyes, her face creased in thought. "Hmm. Where did that boy mention they were going?" She mumbled to herself. "Something about getting away from certain people, was it? Or finding certain people, maybe? Maybe."

She opened her eyes with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. It's been a while. I think he did make some remark about going somewhere, but for the life in me, I can't remember."

Kichi grinned back. "That's okay. You've been very helpful as it is. Thank you."

The unofficial kunoichi turned to leave, but Mamoru cocked his head in thought. "You know, we have been working for a while now without a break."

The girl stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. She blinked at Kisho. "Is he really thinking what I think he's thinking?"

Kisho, who was staring at their father-figure, shook his head. "Highly improbable," he stated.

Mamoru grunted. "What? It's not like I never give us a break."

The teens stared at him some more.

"Okay, fine! So it's been a while. Do you want to stay here or not?"

Kichi squealed in delight and clapped her hands. Kisho blinked and a slightly relieved smile crossed his face.

Mamoru turned back to the amused employees. "We'd like a room for a few days."

Kichi stopped shrieking long enough to ask, "A few _days_?" Then she went back to her celebration with renewed vigor.

Gina beamed. "Since you'll be staying, I'll let you know if I remember anything."

"Thank you." Mamoru nodded.

* * *

Near the Border of Whirlpool and Wind Country

Kouhei jumped form tree to tree. He was headed for Suna to find Nozomi Uzumaki. After the meeting with the Plum Bastard, he had agreed to take the mission. But he didn't agree not to fail on purpose. He already had a vague idea of what he could do.

First he would have to find her. That shouldn't be a problem; it wasn't like she was hiding. Then he would warn her and probably help her and her family disappear. It would all have to be done with extreme discretion.

Once they were safe, he would go back to the Plum Bastard and tell him they all died, but in a fire, so there were no bodies, no evidence. After the old man was convinced, Kouhei would go back to them and get some questions answered. Oh, how many questions he had.

Kouhei made it to the desert separating him from his quarry by noon. He rested for a few hours and refilled his water supply. When the temperature dropped as the sun started to set, he began his trek. He planned on traveling hard from sundown to sunup and would hopefully reach his destination just after dawn.

Unfortunately, things didn't go quite so smoothly. The mercenary got get stuck in a sandstorm the moment the sun began to peak over the horizon. He pushed his chakra into the sand around him and manipulated it to form a sort of cave to protect him, grudgingly thanking the accursed demon sealed in him for convincing him to work on all of the elements, not just wind, water, and fire. (1) The storm didn't die down until half past ten.

When he could do so without getting a mouthful of sand, Kouhei cursed his luck, his angry voice quickly snatched away by the wind. Why things usually went against the jinchuuriki was beyond him.

He had left his home to protect them and to get stronger, which he had, but now he didn't know if he could go back. He had changed so much. What if no one wanted him? Could he even handle being in society again? He never stayed near people for long periods of time. It made him uncomfortable after living with just a voice in his head for so long. Add to that his fox instinct to not trust anyone and his shinobi border-line paranoia...well, he just didn't interact well with others.

Then there was the issue of his sensei. The man had literally disappeared into thin air. One minute he was telling Kouhei, then Naruto, to find them some food when they were passing through a small village; the next he was just gone. Kouhei had looked everywhere, but couldn't find him. He was on his own.

He had had to start working as a mercenary for stuck-up rich folks like the Plum Bastard for money to feed himself and keep a decent home. He could hunt for food, as he lived in a hidden house in the forest and though it was a messy process of cleaning critters ans fish, he only bought what he couldn't get from the forest floors and streams. And he would need to make repairs to his home every so ofter due to the harsh winter, rainy spring, and various nosy animals.

All this at the ripe, old age of 14.

Kouhei was snapped out of his thoughts as he realized he had made it to Suna, and only about six hours behind schedule.

Concealing his chakra, he scanned Suna's defenses for an opening to get through. No matter how many guards, there was always a weak spot somewhere; this he knew from experience.

There were shinobi on each of the four levels of the massive wall spaced by 50 meters. Occasionally, two would swap places. Kouhei saw his opportunity.

Concentrating hard, he used an advanced genjutsu to make himself invisible and suppressed his chakra, more than he already instinctively was, to the point that, even standing next to him, only a kage could detect him. Then as two guards passed each other on the second level, he gathered chakra to his feet and jumped up onto the ledge of that level. He used his wind affinity to keep the air around him as still as he could so as not to create a breeze, a challenging and risky move for the situation he was in. He held his breath as both guards walked to their places.

Now was the really tricky part. He had to leap from the second level to the top of the fourth without detection. Kouhei grinned at the challenge.

Preparing himself, he mentally took a deep breath and jumped.

With the grace of a shinobi, he soared through the air, not that anyone saw him. He landed with perfect accuracy on the top of the fourth level. He smirked at the ease of getting into one of the strongest shinobi villages to exist.

But he had celebrated too soon. Out of the corner of his eye, he was the closest guard, barely two meters away, stiffen and look carefully around, noticing every flicker of movement on the wall and change in the wind. Kouhei didn't move a muscle.

After a few more agonizing seconds, the ninja turned back to the search for threats from the outside. Waiting a full minute before he dared to move, Kouhei molded more chakra to the bottom of his feet. Eyes on the Sand-nin, he slowly and silently walked straight down the back of the wall.

Only when he finally made it off the structure, navigated the crowded streets of Suna without bumping into anyone, and ducked into an empty alleyway did he release the invisibility jutsu, though he still suppressed his chakra. After checking for any shinobi signatures on his tail, and finding none, he used his improved version of the transformation jutsu to turn himself into a young woman in a plain tan shirt and brown skirt. This version of the jutsu not only made him look like a girl, but he practically was one, right down to the smell. Even the Sharingan would have trouble telling the difference. He now had hair the color of his sand-covered flip-flops framing alert brown eyes.

Just then he noticed a teenage girl drop her jacket in her hurry to get somewhere. Shrugging, Kouhei used chakra-manipulated wind again to coax the clothing close enough to grab without anyone noticing. Slipping the dull red apparel on, Kouhei stepped out of the alley.

It was time for the hardest part yet. He had to find Nozomi Uzumaki without alerting half the shinobi in the village.

Kouhei wandered around, letting his sharp ears catch bits of conversations while his wind brought him snatches of voices, hoping for a clue. After three hours of aimless walking, he found himself back at the alley where he had started.

Frowning, Kouhei decided on a different strategy. It wasn't as subtle as looking himself, but it was faster.

He quickly soundproofed the alley using some seals. He bit his thumb and ran through a series of hand signs, then pressed his hand into the dirt.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Desert Lizard," he whispered. He vaguely noted that his voice still had that same, almost creepy tone to it, even as a girl.

When the smoke cleared away a second later, nine lizards of different sized and shades, from green to tan to brown, laid in front of him.

A dull green male that could fit around Kouhei's shoulder's looked up at him. "Hey, Kouhei! It's been...a ...while? Hoi, who are you, miss?" At this, the other previously uninterested lizards locked their gazes on a brunette woman in her early 20s.

Kouhei rolled his eyes. "It's me. This is my improved version of the hedge. Virtually undetectable."

The lizards all blinked at him, struck speechless. They couldn't even get his familiar scent; just the smell of a foreign female. The only way they knew it was really him at all was that no one else was aware that the lizard contract was still intact. And if he did let someone else sign the contract, he would have summoned them first to notify them of their new partner and introduce them all to the newbie. Besides, only Kouhei could pull off that kind of intimidating voice.

Recovering from his shock, the obvious head of the group spoke up again. "Nice. So what's up? You got another task for us?"

The boy, or girl, nodded. "I need you guys to see if you can find someone for me. She's about 35 years old, medium height and build, short red hair, tanned skin, bright green eyes, a kunoichi part of a ninja clan around here-"

"Where exactly is here?"

"Suna. I need you to find her as soon as possible. Her name is Nozomi Kashitu."

"You going to assassinate her, or something?"

"No," Kouhei shook his head quickly. "I'm actually going to save her from an assassination. The Plum Bastard wants her dead because she is the rightful leader of their village so he lied about her having a hand in the murder of her father. Not that he knows that I know that they're related. He wants me to kill her kids, too."

"Rough. Well, we'll get right on it."

With that, the lizards spread out to search the village.

Kouhei was about to start looking again, too, but then a horrible thought occurred to him. What if she wasn't in the village right now? Shit. His plan didn't cover that possibility, which was now starting to look all too realistic. Sighing, he chose to stay optimistic and ran around Suna again. And wouldn't you know it? After another hour, he finally got a lucky break.

He felt a sharp chakra flare unique to summons that can only be felt by someone who had signed their contract. One of the lizards had found something.

Kouhei briskly strode through the crowds that were on the move again, heading to dinner. Speaking of which, Kouhei remembered he hadn't eaten since he had started his trip across the desert. But food could wait. For now, he followed the chakra signature to a good-sized barbecue restaurant.

As he entered, he noticed a small dark brown lizard lying along the edge of the wall across from the door. Kouhei gave the reptile the slightest nod, and it disappeared in a tine puff of smoke. After making sure no one had seen it, Kouhei took in his surroundings.

Booths ran along the left side of the square room and round tables were lined down the middle. On the right side was a long counter complete with stools and a doorway connecting the room to the kitchen, which could be seen over the counter.

Carefree laughter emitted from a booth at the back. It was a foreign sound to Kouhei's ears. By following it, he made his way towards a small group of five Suna ninja, three men and two women. They all wore average jonin attire and headbands with the Sand's symbol on them. Kouhei immediately recognized his target.

It was showtime.

* * *

AN: Well? Review please!

(1) In this fic, a person can develop an affinity for all of the elements if he/she worked at it long and hard enough. As I put in the end notes for Chapter 1, I think it's that a shinobi has two or three affinities in the manga. That is the common belief in this story anyway, but a person can actually become sufficient with any element.


	7. Chapter 6

Title: Blood Red Ice

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is gone, vanished just like his mentor. And lately a new power is being introduced to the shinobi world. Konoha, meet Red Ice.

AN: Thank you for the wonderful reviews. Honestly, I struggled with this chapter. I'll warn you right now, the characters may be a little OOC (or a lot), but I really tried my best! Tell me if I'm butchering their personalities please.

Disclaimer: Do I need to say that I don't own Naruto? Seriously?

* * *

Chapter 6

Kouhei subtly took in a breath and approached the Sand shinobi. The 'girl' stood by the group's table silently, waiting to be noticed. It didn't take long.

"Um, can we help you, miss?" Asked a scarred man, making the rest of them turn to Kouhei.

Kouhei spoke politely to Nozomi. "Actually, may I speak with you, Kashitu-san? I believe the matter is urgent."

The redhead raised an eyebrow, but slipped out of the booth to follow the quiet girl. 'She' led her over to the end of the counter in the back corner before turning to face her.

"So, what do you need to talk to me about, Miss...?"

A harmless smile appeared on Kouhei's face. "On the contrary, I'm not a miss. I'm using an advanced version of the transformation jutsu."

Nozomi stared at him in surprise. "An advanced version? Then who are you?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why do you need to use a hedge?" She asked, her tone turning harsh.

Kouhei's lips just quirked up a little more. "Because I am currently being paid to assassinate you."

Nozomi's already taunt stance stiffened further at this revelation.

"Relax." Kouhei waved his hand carelessly. "We're in a busy restaurant with your shinobi friends sitting right over there. Besides, if I really wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have told you just now."

"Then what do you want?" Nozomi questioned tensely.

Kouhei continued to smile casually. "To help you. You probably don't remember me, especially with the hedge up, but we met about a week ago. I was in the small village near the border of the Fire and Whirlpool Countries for an important assignment and you happened to have been visiting it at the same time. You aided me in my mission. To kill you wouldn't be showing much gratitude, now would it?"

Nozomi was still suspicious and that smile was starting to creep her out. "But then, you must be a mercenary. You take jobs like assassination for money. Why would my case be any different?"

Kouhei became serious now. "Because my employer lied about his reasoning to want you dead. And not only you, but also your children."

He watched as all of the color drained from her face.

"My kids? Why? Who would want them to die?"

"He is the leader of a prosperous village, the one your father used to lead in Whirlpool Country, also your own birthplace. When your father died and you were no where to be found, his clan took the position of head family. Now he has found out that you are alive and have children as well. Needless to say, he wants control of the village to remain in his clan. So what better way to get rid of you all than by hiring a successful mercenary?"

Understanding dawned on the kunoichi's face, but it was soon replaced by more suspicion. "But why are you telling me this? Why would you help us?"

Kouhei looked away and shrugged, indifferent. "Honestly, I don't need to. But you seemed like a kind person, one of which there are too little in our profession. And even if you were guilty, I don't believe in punishing the offspring for the crimes of their parents."

"And just what did your employer tell you we were to be punished for?" Nozomi continued to regard him suspiciously.

Kouhei currently brown eyes filled with mild disgust. "He claimed you had a hand in your father's murder," he answered nonchalantly.

The kunoichi's mouth dropped open. "What?! Why would I kill the last of my own family?"

"That is precisely why I am helping you. I may be a mercenary, but even we have limits. Your case happens to fall beyond those boundaries. I won't kill an entire innocent family because some rich old man's gone power-hungry. I still have some humanity left." He whispered the last part to himself, but Nozomi still heard it.

She frowned. 'Who is this woman? Is she even a woman? She had said that we have met before, but I can't recall helping any mercenaries, recently or otherwise.' "Who are you?"

Kouhei glanced at her in guarded surprise. "Who, me? I'm just a kid trying to make a living."

Nozomi blinked at him and narrowed her eyes again. This girl's quiet, almost detached tone was sending all of her shinobi instincts on red alert, but there might be someone after her family. She had to know if this was legitimate information. "How do I know I can trust you? You won't tell me who you are nor what you look like nor if you're even a woman. And yet you seem to know plenty about me."

Kouhei chuckled, slightly hollow sound. "My name is Kouhei and I am, in fact, a boy under a hedge to appear as a female. Satisfied?"

"Not even close."

Kouhei sighed delicately. "Alright then. I'll drop the hedge for you, but not here."

"Where?"

The mercenary tilted his head, thinking. "I suppose the question would be, where is best for you?"

Nozomi bit her lip. "Training Grounds, number 38, midnight."

"I'll be there."

Nozomi gave him a warning look. "You better be. And you'd better come alone. Cuz I sure won't."

Kouhei nodded and left the kunoichi to her thoughts.

Once the quiet stranger was gone, Nozomi continued to stand where she was, immersed in her confusion and uncertainty. If someone really was after her kids, what could she do but trust the only one who seemed to know what was going on?

After a few minutes, her friends came over.

"Hey, Nozomi?" Asked the blonde woman. "Are you okay? You look pale."

Nozomi just nodded slowly. "Everything will be fine," she murmured more to herself than anyone.

The four others exchanged concerned looks.

This time one of the guys spoke up. He had black hair and a dark scar along his jaw-line. "Nozomi, what happened? What's wrong?"

She licked her lips before answering. "Nothing, Ringo. I have to go."

Before she could take more than two steps, the other two men blocked her path.

"We know something's wrong. Tell us," demanded the tall brunette to her left.

"Yeah, Nozomi. What did that girl say?" The concern in the small raven-haired man's voice was obvious.

Nozomi avoided their eyes and didn't say anything.

Ringo sighed. "As pigheaded as ever I see. If you don't tell us, we'll just have to have Miyoko search your memories."

The blonde woman, Miyoko, nodded. "You know I'll do it, Nozomi."

The redhead flinched slightly. "I don't really know what exactly happened or if any of what she said is true."

Miyoko frowned. "And what did she say?"

Nozomi hesitated.

"Oh, come on! Kin and I have known you since you first came to Suna all those years ago," Miyoko huffed while the short, dark-haired man nodded at the mention of his name. "And Ringo and Yasuo since you got married. Don't you trust us?"

They all waited for her answer.

"Yes."

That was all they got.

"Then tell us what's upsetting you so much," was Ringo's comeback.

There was silence until, finally, Nozomi sighed. "None of you will let this go, will you?"

They unanimously shook their heads.

"We'll keep bugging ya as long as it takes," Kin stated cheerfully.

"Alright. But not now. I'm going to meet Kouhei at Training Area 38 at midnight."

"Kouhei? Isn't that generally a boy's name?" Ringo raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. That girl claimed to really be a boy under a transformation."

"But then he is a shinobi. And how did we not sense it? He should have been using a constant flow of chakra to keep it up." Yasuo inquired worriedly.

"Apparently, it was an advanced version."

Her friends traded glances of various degrees of admiration and apprehension.

"If this is true, he isn't your average ninja. He sounds pretty dangerous," Ringo observed. "I'll come with you tonight."

"So will I," Miyoko volunteered.

"We all will," Kin added while Yasuo nodded his agreement.

Nozomi was about to protest, but then remembered the warning she had given Kouhei.

_You'd better come alone. Cuz I sure won't._

Now she had the backup she wanted. She knew if things got bad, her friends wouldn't leave her. If they knew that a greedy village leader might want her and her family dead, they would never leave her side. They would watch her kids like hawks, making sure nothing could ever happen to them. So maybe it was a good thing they were offering to go with her.

She nodded slowly. "Alright. You can come, but don't speak a word."

They all visibly relaxed and nodded back.

Nozomi looked straight at Kin. "Not a word."

Kin looked offended. "Of course not. I can keep my mouth shut."

"Sure you can." Sarcasm dripped from Miyoko's voice.

Ringo rolled his eyes and interrupted before the two had a fight. "So Training Area 38 tonight at midnight. We'll all be there."

Nozomi smiled sadly at her friends. "Thanks, guys."

"Don't sweat it," Kin grinned.

"That's what friends are for," Ringo replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Miyoko put her hand on Nozomi's shoulder and smiled warmly at her.

Yasuo just nodded.

Nozomi's smile became more genuine at her friends' responses. What would she do without them?

* * *

Konoha's Main Gate; Half past three in the afternoon

Itachi Uchiha jumped gracefully through the trees lining the road, the gates of Konoha in his sight. 'Hm. It took me longer to get here than I thought it would. Though I'll have the rest of today and tonight to get what I need. It is plenty of time.'

_FLASHBACK_

_Akatsuki Hideout; Two days earlier_

_Pein frowned, deep in thought. He studied the man standing in front of him, Itachi Uchiha. After a few moments of silence, he spoke. _

"_I'm giving you an assignment."_

_Itachi nodded. "What is it?"_

"_You are to go back to Konoha."_

_The Uchiha blinked, but that was the only sign of his surprise. "Why? Their jinchuuriki is not there right now."_

"_That is why you are going there. Our spies have confirmed that his sensei and guardian, Jiraiya of the Sannin, is missing. The jinchuuriki, however, has not returned to Konoha."_

_Itachi mentally frowned. "If he is still away from Konoha, why-"_

"_You will go to Konoha, find a tracker, and search for the jinchuuriki." Seeing Itachi's head slightly tilt in a miniscule sign of confusion, Pein elaborated. "Konoha has several excellent tracking clans whose heirs were in frequent contact with the jinchuuriki. (1) Use this to your advantage in obtaining a tracker capable enough, if not willing, to lend their assistance. The nin you choose must be very efficient and as quick as possible. So choose carefully," he warned. "You have two days to begin your search." _

_After giving the Akatsuki leader a small nod, Itachi left to prepare for his trek to Konoha. _

_END FLASHBACK_

So here he was, journeying back to his former village for a tracker to hunt down the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, and he knew just who he wanted.

A short old man was making his way up to the entrance of the village when he was stopped by a voice.

"Excuse me sir, but we need to see your papers," said a bored looking ninja on guard duty.

Without a word, the old man handed some loose papers to the shinobi, who looked them over while asking, "What's your business here?"

"I was selling some items to a high-paying client around these parts and thought I'd stay here for a day or two before I head home. I promised my grandson I'd have a little something for him when I got back," answered the stranger, smiling.

The guard smiled in return and gave him back his papers. "Well, everything checks out. Enjoy your stay."

The old man nodded his thanks and passed the outer wall. He worked his way through the crowed streets of Konoha. Spotting an empty training area near the edge of the village, he slipped in and a poof of smoke covered him for a moment as he dropped the hedge he was using.

In the old man's place stood Itachi Uchiha.

The criminal carefully masked his chakra before heading to the apartment of Naruto Uzumaki. He entered through the bedroom window and quickly grabbed a random piece of clothing from the single small dresser.

The problem with tracking is having an idea of where to start. Itachi had thought about what kind of tracker to take with his while traveling here. There were several unique types available in Konoha. There were individuals who took tracking as their specialty, but the most common were the Hyuga with their Byakugan, the Aburame with their kikai bugs, and of course the tracking clan specialists, the Inuzuka with their keen sense of smell and faithful hounds.

Itachi jumped from roof to roof in search of one particular household of one particular clan.

Going to the Inuzuka compound, he easily dodged the inhabitants and settled in the high branches of a tree near the head of the clan's house. He made sure to cover his scent as well as he could.

By now it was nearly five thirty because he was doing everything with great caution. He thought through every move he made. Though maybe it was a bit extreme, he could mot afford to fail again. All previous attempts on the jinchuuriki had failed for one reason or another.

'No,' he thought. 'This time will be different. A tracker will lead me to him. Leader-sama says that the sennin that protected him is missing and none of Konoha's allies have made any mention of the jinchuuriki, so the boy must be on his own. He is a weak, foolish child. He won't be ale to hide from an Inuzuka for long. I'll certainly find him.'

Suddenly, Itachi was forced from his thoughts by an interruption in the form of a woman and her nin-dog leaving the two-story home he was watching.

"Hana, Kiba! I'll be gone for a while so be good!" The woman called back into the house.

"Yeah, Kaa-san. We'll be fine," said a young woman in her twenties as she stood in the doorway. "This isn't the first time you've left us alone."

"I know, but I just have a weird feeling. Kiba? Listen to your sister," his mother warned.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Kaa-san," came his careless, though only slightly sarcastic voice from indoors.

Itachi recognized the older woman as Tsume Inuzuka, and the girl by the door as her daughter Hana. He

_FLASHBACK_

_Itachi stood in the middle of a training field covered in sweat after a tiring workout. Suddenly he heard clapping. Turning he saw Hana standing at the edge of the area with a smug look adorning her face. And she had a right to it. Itachi had never let her nor anyone else besides his seven year old brother Sasuke see him train and had always caught the determined Inuzuka whenever she would try to sneak a peek. _

_But it seemed that today Itachi wasn't as aware as he had thought he was, and she had finally pulled off what she had begun to believe was impossible. She had watched Itachi Uchiha practice his skills. And she had to admit, he was impressive. _

_Itachi stared at her blankly. "What are you doing here, Hana?"_

"_What? No hello for your best friend?" She pouted. _

_The ANBU sighed. There was no point trying to keep his face emotionless around her. He didn't now what it was, but something about the chunin just made him want to drop the stone-like mask and be himself, so he gave her an annoyed look. "You know I don't like to be watched when I train." _

_Hana just stood at attention with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "That is what makes it such a challenge, and today I, Hana Inuzuka, chunin of Konohagakure and heir to the Inuzuka clan, have witnessed Itachi Uchiha, ANBU of Konohagakure and esteemed prodigy of the Uchiha, train himself in the arts of the shinobi without his consent!" She proclaimed in a professional tone. Then a cheeky grin stretched across her face. "I should get a medal!"_

"_You shouldn't be here."_

"_Aw, com'on Itachi. Who's gonna see us out here? Everyone knows that if they were to get caught spying on the Uchiha genius during training they'll get their asses handed to them, badly. No one will risk evoking the wrath of the mighty Itachi."_

"_You will."_

_Her grin widened. "Nope. I just know you wouldn't do that to me!" Her face fell into a slight frown. "Itachi, I still don't get why we have to have all the secrecy. I mean, we're just friends. It's not like people are gonna talk if we're seen speaking to each other in public. How come only Kiba can know?"_

_Itachi sighed. "Because if we are seen together, people _will_ talk, no matter if we are merely speaking to each other. Rumors will start around and before you know it, the council will do something rash. You know how they are when dealing with Uchiha matters, and they won't hesitate to 'patch things up' between our clans-" _

"_Your tou-san was being a prick! What else was Kaa-san supposed to do?" Hana snapped defensively. _

_He gave her a dry look. "Not accuse him of being a self-centered moron with a stick up his ass...no matter how true it may be."_

_Hana had the courtesy of looking a bit sheepish at that. _

"_And I would prefer it if Kiba didn't know, but I suppose that can not be helped now, thanks to you." He gave her another look. _

"_Ahehe," The girl chuckled, embarrassed. "Sorry. I was just so excited to find out that the indestructible Itachi Uchiha was ticklish that I sorta forgot our friendship was a secret and mighta let that slip to the kid."_

_Itachi rolled his eyes to the sky. "'Sorta forgot' and 'mighta let it slip?' You told Kiba all about everything. Yesterday he asked me if you and I were dating."_

_Hana blushed and looked away. "And what did you say?"_

_Itachi blinked at her- to him- strange reaction. "I politely denied it and explained that we barely knew each other from previous missions and were nothing more that fellow shinobi of Konoha. Of course, he call ed me a liar and claimed that you had told him that we were almost as close as you are to him. Then he proceeded to begin yelling 'Hana's gotta boyfriend' as loud as he could until I quieted him down. When he asked me why it was a secret, I told him to talk to you."_

_Hana slapped her forehead with her palm. "So that's why he started asking me all of those embarrassing questions. You did it." She pointed her finger accusingly at him._

"_Well, you shouldn't have told him," Itachi smirked. _

_Hana growled at him threateningly. _

_His smirk just grew more prominent at her anger. _

"_Well," she sighed. "I suppose I should be getting home. It's almost time for dinner and I still gotta help in the kennels." She wrinkled her nose in halfhearted distaste. "See ya 'round, Ita-chan!"_

_His right eye visibly twitched, but he nodded nevertheless as she left, her lips twinging up in satisfaction of his reaction. _

_When she was gone, he sighed. What would he do without her and Sasuke to keep him mostly sane in all of the chaos in the shinobi world?_

_END FLASHBACK_

After that, Itachi and Kiba had gotten closer. So close, in fact, that Kiba had started calling him nii-san, only a little while before the massacre.

Sighing, Itachi shook his head quickly to try to rid himself of the memories. Unfortunately for him, the action caught the notice of Tsume's canine companion, who began sniffing the air for any trace of a threat.

Tsume glanced down at him, but when he didn't find anything out of the ordinary, they both continued on their way.

Once Tsume was out of hearing range, Itachi turned his attention back to the siblings in the house. Hana had gone back inside while her and Kiba's dogs were lazily lounging in the sun on the front yard.

Itachi hardly moved for hours. He just stood there, contemplating exactly how the following scene might play out and the best way for him to keep the noise down and resistance to a minimum; after all, he didn't know what they would say to what he wanted from them.

He had decided to take Hana with him. She was the older, more experienced tracker and, though he would never actually admit to missing anything about this village, the Inuzuka kids included, he had missed her the most of all since he had defected from Konoha.

It was just past midnight when Itachi moved form his hiding spot. He wondered how Hana would react to seeing him after all these years...

* * *

AN: Well, what do you think? I had to get Akatsuki in there, and I like the Inuzukas...so this happened! I also made this chapter a bit longer than usual. A peace offering of sorts. :) I really didn't mean to put off writing this chapter for so long. Review and I'll try to get the next one up sooner. Deal?

(1) As far as I figure it, the more a tracker is exposed to the target, the more familiar he or she is to said target, and the easier it would be to track them.


	8. Chapter 7

Title: Blood Red Ice

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is gone, vanished just like his mentor. And lately a new power is being introduced to the shinobi world. Konoha, meet Red Ice.

AN: It took till two in the morning, but it's done!

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

* * *

Chapter 7

Itachi Uchiha quietly jumped onto the roof of the Inuzuka clan head's house, ghosting over the edge and sticking to the side of the house like a wraith. He wondered how Hana would react to him. 'There's only one way to know for certain,' he thought.

He silently slipped a kunai through a window on the top floor and used it to open the simple lock. Climbing inside, he stalked down the hall to the only bedroom door on the second floor. Pausing, he could barely make out the quiet breathing of a human. The breaths were too fast for the person to be asleep. Itachi also noticed by the irregularity of it that the person seemed to be nervous, maybe even scared.

Itachi slowly crept up to the door.

Suddenly it was thrown open to reveal...nothing.

Kiba sighed, berating himself for what he was trying to convince himself was just his overactive imagination. His kaa-san and nee-san had both gone off on overnight missions so he was alone. He reasoned that no one else could be in the house because the dogs would have smelled intruders and barked like mad.

Deciding that a cold glass of water might calm his nerves, Kiba started down the stairs to the kitchen when his nose twitched from the smallest scent of a foreign smell. He kept walking to the kitchen, the with the feeling of a pair of unknown eyes boring into him the whole way.

After a few sips of water, Kiba set down the glass and took a deep breath, waiting for whoever was watching him to make some sort of move.

Seeing this, Itachi stepped out of the shadows in the hallway into the light in the kitchen doorway. His Akatsuki robe covered his body while his wide hat was pulled low to mask his face.

When he saw the intruder, Kiba's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Who are you?"

Itachi didn't say anything. Nor did Kiba for a while.

"What do you want?" Kiba asked, the edge in his voice betraying his unease.

For a moment, Itachi still said nothing. Then, "A tracker."

Kiba blinked at him in surprise. "Wha? What do you mean 'a tracker?'"

Itachi tilted his head up a bit to look him in the eyes, thought Kiba still couldn't see his eyes because of the hat.

"Who are you?" Kiba demanded again.

"Don't you recognize me, Kiba?"

The Inuzuka tensed upon hearing the stranger knew his name. "Do I know you?" He questioned warily.

Itachi smiled under his hat, though Kiba still couldn't see his face. "We used to be close all those years ago, almost like brothers."

Kiba stared at him. What was this guy saying? Hana was his only sibling. He'd never had anyone as close as a brother that he could remember, other than perhaps Shino. He racked his brain, going back over the years until his eyes widened and he froze.

"It can't be..." He whispered.

"Can't it?" Itachi asked, taking off his hat.

Kiba stared at him like he was seeing a ghost. "Wha...H-How..." He trailed off.

Itachi could feel himself slightly smirking with vague pleasure at the boy's reception, the sly smile somewhere between that of a uninterested older sibling and a cold killer. "Hello, Kiba. It's been a long time."

"...Itachi...nii-san?" Kiba stood there in shock. There was no way that Itachi Uchiha, one of Konoha's most hated missing-nin that had been like an older brother to him, was standing in his kitchen in the middle of the night.

When he finally regained his voice, he whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"Can't I come see my closest friends?"

Kiba shook his head in wonder. One of the most feared murderers still alive today was calling him one of his closest friends. Then he realized he had said 'friends' as in plural.

"H-Hana isn't here."

Itachi's mouth drooped down the tiniest bit. "Where is she?"

Kiba swallowed. "She got an assignment...from the Hokage this evening. I think it was a last-minute escort mission. She'll be gone for a few days."

'I didn't notice her or her nin-dogs leave,' Itachi thought, a bit disturbed that something like that had happened right next to him, yet he hadn't noticed. 'I would prefer her assistance in this mission...No matter. Though he is only fourteen, Kiba will do the job well enough. He is a chunin at least. Better him than someone I don't know and can't trust in the slightest. Now how to get him to come without much resistance?'

Kiba was still staring at him as if he couldn't quite believe he was there.

Itachi began walking towards him, but stopped when the boy stepped back. Looking straight into his eyes, Itachi slowly took one step forward at a time until he was face to face with Kiba. Then he slowly reached out with one hand and rested it on the side of Kiba's neck, tilting his head up a bit to get a good look at him and felt small sense of approval with his reaction.

Kiba had flinched faintly at the contact, but forced himself not to move away, even with his shinobi instincts screaming at him to get the hand away from such a vulnerable body part. His eyes never left Itachi's face. It was then that he realized that the criminal didn't have his Sharingan activated. He had heard that when Itachi had killed his cousin a few days before the massacre, he had gained a more powerful version of the Sharingan.

'Why doesn't he have it activated? I had heard that he always had his Sharingan out unless...oh. Unless he's with people he actually trusts. He trusts me? After all these years? How does he know I won't try something? Of course, I suppose he could handle anything I can do even without his Uchiha eyes.'

"Kiba."

Itachi's voice broke him out of his thoughts, and the Inuzuka realized he had taken a step back, for which Kiba was thankful for. It was unnerving having an S-class criminal standing so close, former friend or not.

"I need your help."

Kiba blinked at him, brow creased. "My help?"

Itachi nodded. "I need you to find someone for me."

"Who?" Kiba asked, baffled.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Kiba instantly tensed again. It was common knowledge to the Rookie Nine and any of Naruto's friends that Itachi and some other powerful shinobi had gone after him a number of times with intentions unknown to most, but obviously not good.

'Damn.' Itachi judged Kiba's reaction. 'This may prove a bit more difficult than I had anticipated.'

"Why do you need to find him?" Kiba asked stiffly.

Itachi sighed. "Don't automatically assume the worst of me. I just want to talk to him."

Kiba frowned and looked away. "I don't think-"

"Don't you trust me?"

Kiba grimaced, still not looking at him. "I...don't know what to think with you anymore," he murmured. "You killed them all. And Sasuke." He looked up, eyes begging for an answer. "Why did you do it? To your own brother?"

Itachi pressed his lips together. "I cannot answer that."

Kiba turned his face down again again.

"Kiba. I need the help of an Inuzuka to find Naruto, and I can't wait for Hana. I can't do this without you."

Kiba closed his eyes as he took in the meaning of those words. Itachi had wanted Hana to help him, but she was gone and for whatever reason, he didn't have time to wait for her to get back. Apparently, Kiba was the only other option and if he could rely on the past, then he knew that Itachi wouldn't just let him go back to bed if he refused. He remembered that Itachi didn't have his Sharingan activated.

He opened his eyes and slowly nodded. Then moving to the sink with his back to the nuke-nin, he dumped the rest of his forgotten water out and stared at the glass cup for a minute. He subtly slipped one hand under the sink and grasped the handle of a kunai. He hid the weapon in front of him, gripping it tightly and knowing full well that if this failed, there was a real possibility that his family might come home to a corpse.

Itachi stood behind him, wondering what the boy was thinking about.

Suddenly, Kiba swung around and smashed the glass at Itachi's head, using chakra to make his movements faster. He bolted for the door, kunai in hand. He wasn't stupid. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Itachi in a fight. So he decided to make a run for it and hopefully get outside before Itachi caught up to him. If he could just get outside, the dogs would alert everyone in the compound...

Unfortunately, the man had caught the movement of his arm and leaned away enough to avoid the worst of the blow, though the glass still cut him so his head began to bleed. The wound didn't detour him, and he used his amazing speed to get in range for a kick to the back before Kiba could make it fully out of the kitchen. Itachi's blood splattered onto the floor with the sudden movement.

A short bark was heard from outside at the noise.

Kiba rolled to his feet. He twisted and slashed Itachi across his right arm that was reaching for him.

With a hiss of pain, Itachi grabbed Kiba's wrist with his left hand to stop the kunai and kneed him hard in the gut. As he went down, Itachi snatched the kunai out of his grasp.

Kiba fell to the ground with the wind knocked out of him, a few severely bruised, if not cracked ribs and surly a fractured wrist. As he frantically sucked in air, he began to cough into his right hand with a metallic taste in his mouth. Shifting to his knees, he took his hand away and he saw the blood on it.

Itachi sighed. "Now you're hurt."

Kiba blinked at his hand, fighting down the flare of hope. Maybe now that he had an injury, though minor, Itachi might reconsider. However, as expected, his fleeting wish was in vain.

"Go get dressed, Kiba. We have a long journey ahead of us."

Canine whimpers were now more audible outside.

Kiba fixed Itachi with a hard stare defiantly.

Itachi sighed again. "Fine. I had hoped I wouldn't have to do this, but I see you're as stubborn as I remember."

Kneeling down so that they were at eye level, Itachi grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand and slapped him across the face with the other. The Inuzuka stared at him. "If you do not cooperate, I will have to discipline you."

Kiba blinked and spat a wad of bloody spit at Itachi, who easily leaned out of the way with lightning speed.

"You're not my brother," Kiba growled with flashing eyes. "What makes you think you can discipline me?"

Itachi's Sharingan eyes narrowed. "I may not be your brother, but as of now, I am your captor."

Kiba snarled at him.

"If you do not do as I say, I will be forced to start killing those you are close to. I would have to kill them all tonight because I cannot remain here much longer without detection, but I can do that."

Kiba continued to stare, as he couldn't do much else.

"Since your mother is away, how about I start with your team? Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, or your sensei, Kurenai Yuhi? It would be relatively simple to kill them all."

Kiba's eyes widened as the missing-nin listed the names. 'How does Itachi know who's on my team? Who my sensei is? Does he have spies in Konoha?' This last thought worried him greatly, and he didn't doubt that it was possible.

"Convinced yet? I could go through more of those that I could easily kill tonight if you like. Or would you rather get ready to leave?"

Kiba slowly nodded.

Itachi let him up. "Good boy."

Kiba gnashed his teeth together at the words as he used his right hand to push himself up, purposely smearing a bit of his blood on the floor in the process. He climbed the stairs back to his room. Itachi followed and stood in the doorway with his back to Kiba to give him a small bit of privacy to change his clothes, though his senses were on high alert to be safe.

"I'm ready," Kiba mumbled, not looking at Itachi. He had pulled on whatever was closest, that being his regular greyish pants, a t-shirt, and a black zip-up hoodie he sometimes wore. He wore the standard ninja sandals. His weapons pouch was strapped to his leg and his Konoha hitai-ate on his forehead. He grabbed his backpack, the one already packed and only used in case of an emergency- not that Itachi knew that- and slung it over his shoulders.

The nuke-nin nodded and moved to the window of Kiba's bedroom. "Leave through the front door and calm down Akamaru. And don't try anything smart," he ordered, already halfway out the window.

Kiba set his mouth into a grim line. Oh, he would do something if he could get away with it, but considering who he was dealing with, there weren't many options available. He couldn't risk Itachi noticing. His team, his second family, would get hurt. No, he couldn't let that happen. So he would wait and see...

The moment he stepped out of the house, a white dog about two feet tall came bounding over to him. The noise from the house earlier, however brief, had a few of the dogs nearby growling, and Akamaru raced towards Kiba to make sure he was okay. After sniffing him over, the dog nudged his bloodied hand, whining in concern.

"It's okay, boy," Kiba murmured to him. "I'm fine. I'll be gone for a while, but you've got to stay here." Knowing Itachi was watching and probably listening, Kiba leaned down and wrapped the dog in a tight hug, causing Akamaru to nuzzle his neck affectionately. "Go find Kurenai-sensei, okay boy? Or Shino or Hinata," he whispered almost soundlessly, careful not to move his lips.

Glancing up at the roof where he knew Itachi to be waiting, he left his companion and trudged down the street towards the compound exit.

Akamaru barked sharply and started after his master. The hound had smelled his sadness and fear and was worried. Did he think he was going anywhere without him? Akamaru wanted to go too, to be there with him when something was obviously bothering him.

Kiba turned back and quickly whistled two short low notes. The signal to stop, for Akamaru to stay where he was. The young dog whimpered as his partner shuffled away from him, but laid down as told.

Kiba silently walked out of the compound unnoticed. He looked back at the sleeping houses standing peacefully, no one aware of what was happening.

Itachi landed on the road beside him. 'His mutt had better keep quiet. Kiba already made enough noise in the house to arouse some of the dogs. The last thing I need is to have a squad of ANBU and angry Inuzuka after us. To lose them all would take valuable time that I cannot spare.'

"Follow me." He bled into the shadows and silently crept away.

Kiba copied him a bit slower, his gaze memorizing everything it touched. If Itachi was making him leave Konoha, he probably wasn't going to be back any time soon.

Itachi lead him to the lesser used south gate of the village and used a genjutsu to get past the inattentive guard. He led him off the road into the trees, the gate still in sight, before turning to Kiba, holding out a plain black t-shirt. In the cool breeze, Kiba could barely catch Naruto's stale scent.

Taking the shirt, Kiba held it up to his face. After inhaling the scent deeply, Kiba memorized it and handed it back to Itachi. "Got it."

The nuke-nin nodded. He formed a handseal with one hand and suddenly the shirt was on fire. Kiba watched with wide eyes as the clothing was soon turned to ash and blown away. 'Only a single hand sign and no jutsu call. That's some high level elemental chakra control.'

"Time to go, Kiba." Itachi's cold tone was a plain warning not to do anything stupid like at the house. He started through the trees, weaving around the large trunks and over mangled roots with the genjutsu still up.

Kiba momentarily debated making a brake for it back to the village, but it was mostly wishful thinking. He recalled Itachi's stunning speed and threat to his team and knew it would be futile, and so he raced after the murderer.

Before Konoha was completely out of sight, Itachi glanced back at Kiba once and a thought flickered into his mind before he could stop it. 'I'm sorry, Hana.'

* * *

Suna, Training Area 38; Just past midnight

Nozomi Kashitu , Ringo Hamasaki, Miyoko Tsukino, Yasuo Oshiro, and Kin Akiyama stood at the edge of the large open grounds. Each had a kunai within easy reach, prepared for any possible attack. The air was deathly silent. Not even the ever-present wind could be heard.

"You're late."

Even though the voice was quiet, they all jumped and whirled around to face the owner of it.

They all stared slightly wide-eyes at the young woman behind them. None of them had heard her approach or felt her chakra signature. Not even Kin, a skillful sensor, had noticed her...him.

"Where did you come from?" Miyoko asked, bewildered. "Why didn't we feel you coming?"

Still in his henge, Kouhei chuckled lightly. "I was already here waiting when you arrived, with my chakra suppressed. I was wondering who you would bring. Didn't think you'd feel the need for so many."

Nozomi recovered from her shock. "They're here to make sure nothing happens."

"You mean to make sure I don't try to kill you," he stated bluntly. "Well, I cam alone, like we arranged. Though, even if I could have brought anyone with, I wouldn't have."

"Why's that?" Nozomi was more amused now. This kid was interesting, that was for sure.

"I don't trust anyone."

The shinobi in front of his stared at him, a little more than slightly stunned.

"Not anyone? No one at all?" Nozomi asked doubtfully. 'How could anyone survive without trusting someone at some point?'

Kouhei shrugged. "I used to, but then one day I found myself alone, and I realized the only one I can really count on is myself."

Just as they had started to get over their surprise, it came right back at his answer.

'How can she act so casual about something like this?' Miyoko wondered. 'What happened to her to make her like this? Wait, her? I forgot. Nozomi said this is a boy.'

"Anyway, we're not here to discuss my trust issues." Kouhei became serious and got to the point. "Am I to assume you shared with them what I told you?"

Nozomi shook her head. "They only know that something's wrong, but not exactly what."

Kouhei nodded thoughtfully. "Well, first things first. I suppose you still want to see my real form?"

It was Nozomi's turn to nod the affirmative.

"Alright then." Kouhei released the jutsu.

The Suna-nin watched as the smoke dissipated with bated breath. What did this mysterious stranger really look like?

What they saw had their jaws on the floor as they found that they were dealing with a kid.

Kouhei had forsaken some of his usual attire. He now wore a red t-shirt under a tan trench coat eerily similar to a certain psycho snake mistress. He had decided to keep the pants, boots, gloves, and bandages. His black mask also stayed in its place covering half of his face, though a hitai-ite with the kanji for insanity was tied loosely around his neck. His dark brown hair was sticking every which way and midnight blue eyes stared steadily back at them. The two kunai packs were still on his belt, and his fan was folded on his back, likewise with the blades on his arms, hidden under the coat. He stood at five feet even, on the small side for his age, which the adults before him were beginning to question.

Yasuo was the first to regain his composer. "How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen." He didn't see any problem with telling them the truth. Most of it, anyway.

They all gaped at him a little more. Shinobi were always supposed to expect the unexpected. Needless to say, they were not expecting the unknown assassin to be this short boy hardly older than an genin.

Kouhei began to feel awkward and distinctly uncomfortable under their unwavering stares. So he blurted the first this that came to mind. "By the way, you might want to tell the Kazekage to beef up the security around here. For being one of the greatest shinobi villages to exist, it was way too easy to sneak in."

This earned a verbal response.

"What do you mean?" Kin sounded confused. "Didn't you use your henge to get in?"

"Uh, no." Okay, perhaps that wasn't the smartest thing to say.

**No, really?**

'Shut up, baka fox!'

"I didn't have a pass for the gate guards," he explained. "So I used a genjutsu I learned a few months back to make myself invisible and jumped over the wall." The whole time, Kouhei measured their reactions with sharp eyes.

"Are you serious? You, a kid, turned invisible and jumped right past all of our trained guards?" Ringo asked incredulously.

Kouhei shrugged. "If it helps, I also used my affinity for wind to keep the air around me still so there wasn't a breeze." He shaped a few hand seals and disappeared before their very eyes.

Now they realized that he wasn't kidding. If they had looked stunned before, now they looked like they could pass out soon. Similar thoughts were running rampant through all of their minds.

If a fourteen-year-old boy could get in their village undetected, who knows who else might find a way through, or if someone already has?

He was a mercenary, so how did he learn of that invisibility technique in the first place?

Why was he a mercenary? He was only fourteen. Surely he had a village.

So how did he learn any of his ninja skills? If he was from a shinobi village, he would be a nuke-nin.

If that were true, why was he in Suna? If he were caught, he would be either killed or studied to uncover his village's secrets.

And for the other four, what had he told Nozomi that had almost had her falling apart at the seems earlier?

Nothing about this boy made any sense. And now was as good a time as any for answers.

"So Kouhei," Nozomi started sternly. "How did you learn that jutsu?"

He reappeared and shrugged again. "I have my ways."

This only had the adults more confused and suspicious.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kin asked.

He turned a level gaze on him and said in an airy tone, "I don't know, Akiyama-san. What do you think it means?"

He was about to retort when the rest of the boy's words registered in his mind and his eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

They stared at him hard, as if by doing so they would suddenly know everything about him.

Kouhei smiled, though it wasn't very obvious through his mask. This was not going to go over well. "Oh, well you see, there wasn't much to do to pass the time, and I had to do something. I know all your names, but we haven't properly met. I am Kouhei Mizushima." He waited expectantly.

"...Ringo Hamasaki." The scarred man knew there wasn't any point in giving an alias, as he already knew their real names.

"Miyoko Tsukino."

"Yasuo Oshiro."

"Kin Akiyama," the short man whispered, unnerved.

"So you were watching us all day?" Nozomi demanded.

"How did we not know?" Kin had gone pale. As he prided himself in his excellent abilities as a sensor, it was a big deal that he hadn't noticed that he had been tailed.

Kouhei kept his smile. "I masked my chakra."

"Who are you?" Nozomi murmured, more than a little freaked.

"I already told you that," Kouhei sighed. "Kouhei Mizushima, a kid just trying to make a living."

"Bull shit," Nozomi spat. Her patience was wearing thin. She had nearly worked herself into a frenzy when she was alone for a while after putting her children to bed. "If that were true, you would have tried to kill my family already."

Gasps were heard from the four that hadn't known why they were out in the middle of the night.

"What do you mean, Nozomi? This kid was hired to kill you family?" Kin looked between the two in question worriedly.

The red-head nodded solemnly. "Apparently so. And I still don't know why he hasn't tried yet."

At this, Kouhei bristled and his voice became even quieter, as it tended to when he tried to keep his anger in check. "I already told you that, too. I may be a mercenary, but I am _not_ a monster. I won't go around wiping out families on false accusations of multiple murder."

Now the four uninformed of the assembled were very confused.

Yasuo turned to his friend. "Nozomi, tell us what is going on."

Without taking her eyes off of the boy in front of her, Nozomi muttered, "I'm not sure of anything, but this boy claims to have been hired by the current leader of my home village in Whirlpool Country to assassinate my children and myself."

All of their attention shot back to Kouhei, as if they expected him to suddenly attack at any moment.

Kouhei sighed. This was going to be a long night.

AN: So, good? Bad? Longer? Shorter? This is my longest chapter yet. Tell me how you like.


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